Harden falls short; Soto, Ramirez lead Cubs to win

One of the bigger decisions facing Cubs general manager Jim Hendry this fall will be what do to with pitcher Rich Harden.

Attempt to re-sign him or let him walk?

The decision will be a difficult one.

Harden can be dominant at times, but he also can be maddening, as was the case in Friday's 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field.

Harden threw 40 pitches in the first inning on the way to 103 over 4 innings. He couldn't qualify for the victory. That went to rookie Jeff Stevens, who earned his first major-league win despite giving up a game-tying 3-run homer to Jonny Gomes in the fifth.

As for Harden, this was the 10th time in 25 starts, including 3 straight, that he's gone fewer than 6 innings. A $7 million pitcher this year, Harden may be hard-pressed to get a multiyear deal from the Cubs.

The 25th start equaled last year's total. That's a positive, given his history of shoulder problems. But the short outings and high pitch counts may be red flags.

"I'm not concerned," said Harden, who has an ERA of 4.04. "I'm not happy with it, but it doesn't concern me. Guys stopped putting much in play. Just fouling off a lot of balls. Just trying to get a quick out, it's been rough."

The Reds fouled off 10 of 40 pitches in the first, when Harden walked three batters and struck out two. That set the tone.

"I knew it was going to be a relatively short outing after that," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team won its fourth straight to improve to 72-67. "We were hoping to get him 5 (innings). He hit his pitch count in the fourth, and we got him out of there. I would have loved to kept him in, but we've been taking him out after 100 all year. We did the right thing."

Harden said the problem was throwing strikes. He fell behind the first three hitters of the game.

"Getting ahead of hitters, that's what I was having trouble with," he said. "Once they get two strikes, they foul pitches off and foul pitches off."

Most of the offense came from Geovany Soto and Aramis Ramirez. Soto hit a sacrifice fly in the second and a solo homer in the fourth to put the Cubs ahead 4-1.

Ramirez singled home 2 in the third and had the eventual game-winning RBI in the fifth with a run-scoring single. Bobby Scales added an insurance RBI double in the eighth, as Carlos Marmol battled to his 12th save, stranding two in the ninth.

"It's my job," Ramirez said of driving in runs. "Just concentrating. Get a good pitch to hit and don't miss it. I take the pressure off myself and put it on the pitcher. He's the one that's struggling. He's the one with runners on base and has to put the ball over the plate. I just concentrate and try to get a good pitch to hit."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker</p> <p class="News"><b>Odd fact:</b> Rich Harden threw 40 pitches in the first inning but did not allow a run. He became the second pitcher this season to throw at least 40 in a scoreless inning. Florida's Anibal Sanchez did it on June 2 gainst Milwaukee.</p> <p class="News"><b>Not pretty, but effective:</b> Closer Carlos Marmol gave up a hit and a walk in the ninth, but he earned his 12th save and his ninth straight.</p> <p class="News"><b>Don't pinch him:</b> Bobby Scales had an RBI double in the eighth. He is 6-for-9 with 3 RBI as a pinch hitter.</p> <p class="News"><b>Ram tough:</b> Aramis Ramirez (3-for-3, 3 RBI) is hitting .398 at Wrigley Field this year (47-for-118). His stolen base was his first since July 24, 2008.</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=320889">Piniella says Soriano won't lead off anymore<span class="date"> [9/11/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>