Johnson, Harden lift Cubs past Astros 6-3

Lou Piniella decided to administer the Ryan Theriot treatment to Reed Johnson on Wednesday - and it worked just about as well.

Talking before the Cubs started their two-game set at Houston, Piniella used his power of suggestion to get his fourth outfielder going in a fashion akin to the suddenly slugging Theriot.

"We need Johnson to start hitting the ball with just a little bit of power," Piniella said on his pregame radio show. "I don't think he's got an extra-base hit yet. He's too good for that."

Sure enough, Johnson lined a bases-loaded triple just beyond diving center fielder Michael Bourn in the first inning off Astros starter Mike Hampton.

Johnson's first extra-base hit in 124 plate appearances - a dreadful run that stretched to Aug. 22 of last season - gave Rich Harden all he needed to steer the Cubs to a 6-3 victory at Minute Maid Park.

Harden (3-1), who mixed his fastball and change to keep Houston off balance, worked into the eighth inning for the first time as a Cub as he retired 10 straight batters during one stretch.

He left after surrendering 3 hits to start the eighth, including a 2-run homer to Lance Berkman, but Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg were perfect the rest of the way.

All the way around, the Cubs (15-12) looked refreshed and ready after Piniella rested six regulars and his top bullpen guys in Tuesday's loss to San Francisco.

The only starters missing Wednesday were Derrek Lee (strained neck) and Kosuke Fukudome (lefty starter).

"It's a long, long season," Piniella said. "Our job here isn't to win every skirmish. We're trying to win a war. I rested (Alfonso) Soriano for the first time. I rested Theriot for the first time. It pays dividends down the road."

Actually, it paid off almost immediately.

Soriano battled back from an 0-2 count to lace a game-opening single. Milton Bradley, who met with Major League Baseball officials before the game to discuss his pending two-game suspension, lined a single.

After Geovany Soto walked, Johnson ripped his bases-clearing triple to left-center and then scored on Pudge Rodriguez's passed ball to make it 4-0.

Harden took it from there as he continued his good start/bad start trend. In the first 7 innings, he allowed only a few hard-hit balls.

Houston didn't scratch until the fourth when Hampton delivered a two-out RBI single to cut the lead to 4-1. Harden promptly retired the next 10 batters he faced.

Lindsey Willhite's game tracker

Wednesday's grade: A-. Rich Harden pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his 19 starts wearing a Cubs uniform. Reed Johnson delivered a bases-loaded triple in the first - snapping a streak of 123 plate appearances without an extra-base hit. Aramis Ramirez popped his first homer since April 18.

Harden heat: After a crummy start on May 1 with relatively little velocity on his fastball, Rich Harden worked consistently at 94 mph against the Astros. He kicked it up to 96 on occasion, including when he induced a bases-loaded popup from Miguel Tejada to end the third.

Soto Cinco: Perhaps encouraged by his catcher's 5-for-14 start in May, Lou Piniella bumped up Geovany Soto to No. 5 in the lineup for the first time this season. It didn't take. After wangling a first-inning walk, Soto (.159) grounded into a 6-4-3 DP, whiffed on a full-count changeup out of the zone and grounded out to short.

Chad, not Jake: The Cubs called up veteran Chad Fox - he of the multiple right elbow woes - to bolster the middle of the bullpen. Jeff Samardzija went back to AAA Iowa, where he will resume work as a starter.