(Sports Network) - The Chicago Cubs, co-owners of baseball's best home record this season, open up a key four-game series with the playoff-hopeful Florida Marlins tonight at Wrigley Field.

A return to the Windy City couldn't have come at a better time for Chicago, which has red-hot Milwaukee currently breathing down its neck in the National League Central race. The Cubs held a 4 1/2-game lead atop the division at the All-Star break, but that edge has dwindled down to a single game after Lou Piniella's club went 2-4 on a recent road trip and the Brewers' having won their last seven contests.

The Cubs and Brewers will meet four straight times in Milwaukee beginning on Monday.

Chicago had dropped four of its first five games following the break but managed to come through with a much-needed 10-6 victory at Arizona on Wednesday. Reed Johnson went 3-for-4 with a grand slam to pace the Cubs offensively, while Derrek Lee added a solo home run among his two hits on the night.

Alfonso Soriano also made a contribution for Chicago in his first game back from the disabled list, as the All-Star left fielder had a double and a run- scoring ground out in five at-bats. Soriano had been sidelined since June 11 due to a broken bone in his left hand.

The Cubs received a solid six innings out of Ted Lilly (10-6) as well on Wednesday, with the left-hander holding the Diamondbacks to three runs and striking out six to help his team avoid a sweep of its three-game set with Arizona. Lilly aided his cause with an RBI single during a three-run fifth inning for Chicago.

Chicago is an outstanding 37-12 at Wrigley Field in 2008, which puts the Cubs in a virtual tie with Boston (36-11) for the best home mark in the majors.

Florida remains in the thick of a division race as well and enters play tonight trailing the Mets and Phillies by only one game in the NL East. The Marlins missed out on a chance to make it a three-way tie, however, by falling to the host Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

Gregor Blanco and Yunel Escobar both knocked in three runs to back six shutout innings from Tim Hudson as the Braves posted a 9-4 win in the rubber match of their three-game series with the Marlins.

Luis Gonzalez blasted a three-run homer for Florida, but starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco (10-6) was tagged for five runs and eight hits in five innings to suffer the loss.

After struggling against Hudson on Wednesday, the Marlins figure to face another tough challenge tonight in the form of Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs ace has been masterful on the Wrigley Field mound this season, bringing a 5-0 record and a 2.25 earned run average in 10 home starts into this evening's test.

The 2008 All-Star struggled in his first outing after the break, however. Against the Astros in Houston last Saturday, Zambrano issued six walks in 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs to take the loss in Chicago's 4-1 setback.

Prior to that start, Zambrano recorded back-to-back wins over St. Louis and Cincinnati and yielded just one run and five hits in 14 innings during those two games.

The excitable right-hander owns a 3-1 record with a 2.54 ERA over seven lifetime starts against the Marlins.

Chicago-area native Scott Olsen will take the ball tonight for Florida and will be shooting for a third straight winning start. The young lefty wasn't overly sharp in Saturday's matchup with Philadelphia, surrendering four runs (3 earned) and eight hits through five innings, but received plenty of offensive support in the Marlins' 9-5 triumph.

Olsen is 2-0 with three no-decisions over his last five starts and permitted three earned runs or less in all but one of those appearances. He hasn't lost since a 5-4 defeat at Seattle on June 17.

The 24-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.80 ERA in four previous starts against the Cubs. His only career game at Wrigley Field came during the 2006 season, with Olsen getting a no-decision despite allowing just one hit in his five innings of work.

Olsen will be attempting to extend a 10-game winning streak for the Marlins against Chicago. Florida won all six meetings between the clubs last season and recorded a three-game sweep in Wrigley from May 28-30, 2007.