NewsHarden nearly unhittable for Cubs
Starter strikes out eight, allows one hit over seven
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
08/20/09 2:29 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- In five games at PETCO Park this year, the Cubs scored a total of seven runs. On Wednesday, they matched that number in the series finale.Aramis Ramirez belted a solo homer and a two-run double and Milton Bradley added a solo shot to back Rich Harden's eight-strikeout effort and lift the Cubs to a much-needed 7-1 victory over the Padres.
"We found a winning formula tonight," Lou Piniella said.
It was Chicago's first win in six games in San Diego this year, and was necessary to keep pace with St. Louis in the National League Central. Before the game, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said there was a "sense of urgency" heading into the final 44-plus games. The players know it.
"Everybody came to play and played hard out there," Harden said of Wednesday's game. "Everybody in the lineup hit the ball, and defensively, too, it was a pretty solid game. You can see what we're capable of. If we do that every game, it'd be nice."
If the Cubs did that every game, they wouldn't be looking up at the Cardinals in the Central.
"Hopefully, from now on, that's the team you'll see out there," Harden said. "It's easy early in the season to say there's a lot of games left. We've got to get it done. We can't afford to go out there and drop two out of three in a series. Our goal should be to win every series. We can easily do that if we're playing the way we're capable."
Harden (8-7) gave up one hit, a two-out single by Adrian Gonzalez in the first, and walked three over seven innings. The right-hander now has fanned 55 over 44 innings since the All-Star break, and given up eight runs in that stretch. It had been eight days since his last start and he felt fresh after the extra rest.
"He did a good job throwing strikes," San Diego's Chase Headley said. "He didn't even have his good changeup. When a guy like that gets a sizeable lead, it's going to be a good battle. It's hard to string together hits."
Aaron Heilman pitched a scoreless eighth and Sean Marshall served up an RBI single to Headley with two outs in the ninth to spoil the combined shutout.
In the first, the Cubs had two on and none out, and were unable to capitalize. Ramirez hit into an inning-ending double play. That's been a recurring theme.
They rallied in the second when Jeff Baker doubled and scored on Koyie Hill's single. In the third, Ryan Theriot singled and Bradley walked to set up Ramirez again, and this time he delivered a double into the gap in left-center. Kosuke Fukudome followed with an RBI single.
"It felt good because I didn't come through in the first inning," Ramirez said of his double. "We've got to score runs, that's the bottom line. We've got to hit with men in scoring position."
"That's what we've been looking for," Piniella said.
Derrek Lee added an RBI single with two outs in the fourth to chase Mat Latos (4-3).
Bradley hit his ninth homer with one out in the sixth off Luis Perdomo, but not without some extracurricular activity. A fan seated near the Cubs dugout razzed the outfielder as he stood in the on-deck circle. After Bradley had crossed home plate, he made a talking sign with his hand to the fan as the outfielder headed to the dugout. One out later, Ramirez, who apparently wasn't goaded, connected on his 10th.
"He was having a 'Muppet' conversation with one of the fans," Piniella said.
Bradley, who also bowed to the fans after he was called out on strikes to end the eighth, got nothing but support from the other side of the dugout where actor -- and Cubs fan -- Bill Murray was sitting.
"We swung the bats really well tonight, we swung them aggressively, we hit the ball for power," Piniella said. "We were talking before the ballgame [about how] that's what our team is built for and tonight we did it and won a ballgame. Give San Diego all the credit in the world. The other five games they held us to seven runs total."
And the Cubs looked energetic. That's also been missing, too.
"When you swing the bats and put runs on the board and have people running around the bases, you don't look flat," Piniella said. "When nothing's happening, you have a tendency to look that way.
"We've got to hit and we've got to hit the ball in the gaps and those sort of things. Today we did and we looked like a really good baseball team."
There are 44 games and counting.
"If we're going to do something, we have to do it now," Ramirez said. "There's not much time left."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
