The next six weeks could determine whether Tom Glavine hangs up his spikes at the end of the season, or keeps pitching and tries to script a more satisfying ending to his career.

The 42-year-old Braves left-hander will come off the disabled list to start tonight's series finale against Chicago, his first major league game since leaving a June 10 start at the Cubs with elbow pain.

"I guess I'm auditioning for myself and for the people upstairs," Glavine said, referring to Braves officials.

He signed a one-year, $8 million contract last winter to return to Atlanta, after spending five seasons with the New York Mets. Whether the Braves would re-sign the 305-game winner could depend upon his showing the rest of the season.

"They're important," Glavine said of the next six weeks. "It's hard to say, I don't really know how to view it or approach it, in terms of what it means for next year. I want to pitch well and feel like I'm healthy.

"If that happens, I would certainly think that would make me lean toward pitching next year."

He is 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA in 12 starts this season, statistics that took a beating during the five weeks he says he pitched with varying degrees of elbow discomfort or pain. He was later diagnosed with a partially torn flexor tendon.

Glavine went 0-1 with a 2.60 ERA and poor run support in his first four starts, and 2-2 with a 5.79 ERA in his last eight, which coincided with the period where he said discomfort necessitated adjustments in his delivery.

Unsure what to expect when he resumes his season today, Glavine hopes the results will make it easier to decide his future.

"I would look to feel healthy, feel good, then I'd have a better assessment of whether I want to pitch next year," he said. "My desire to pitch, I think I'll have a clearer picture of that if I go out these next six weeks and pitch well and stay healthy."

By coincidence, he'll return against the same power-laden Cubs lineup he faced when he made his last start.

"What the hell, might as well throw yourself in the fire," he said, smiling.

Glavine gave up six hits, four runs and four walks in three innings in that June game. Afterward he revealed his elbow had been hurting for some time and he'd continued pitching because of the team's rash of injuries.

Doctors told him they didn't know if the flexor tendon would heal on its own or require surgery. Glavine saw no progress for several weeks after going on the DL, then suddenly began to improve.

After making two minor-league rehab starts last week, he'll put the elbow to a more rigorous test today.

"Physically, I felt pretty good when I pitched," he said of his rehab starts. "One game I felt good mechanically and the second game I didn't feel so good. Kind of like spring training in that regard — you don't know what you're going to feel like."

Glavine is 2-5 with a 6.33 ERA in his past 15 starts, dating to Sept. 20, 2007. In his 16 starts before that period, he was 8-1 with a 3.20 ERA.

Infante continues surge

The Braves know now how much they missed Omar Infante when he missed the first five weeks of the season with a broken hand sustained during winter ball.

The veteran utility man had three hits in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader to give him a .362 average in his past 29 games.

Before the second game of the doubleheader, he had a .359 average with nine doubles, two homers and 15 RBIs in 19 games since coming off his second DL stint (pulled hamstring) on July 23.

Infante filled in ably for Chipper Jones while the majors league hitting leader was on the DL for hamstring and quadriceps injuries, and manager Bobby Cox reiterated last week that Infante was good enough to be an every-day player, whether at one position or a variety of positions in a "super utility" role.

Jones scratched

Chipper Jones was scratched from the second game because of a stomach virus. He was 1-for-3 in the first game and his major league-leading batting average stayed at .370.