Rich Harden

Matter of fact, it was nice to see Sori hit the ball at all. Rich Harden's excllent outing on Thursday was a real positive and a confidence-booster for the rest of the season. The bullpen's been great, Jake Fox is proving to be an everyday producer, and they're finally getting production out of their lower spots in the lineup. And all in all, regardless of who it is, a four-game road sweep of a Major League team is, at best, unexpected, and more importantly quite helpful in the hunt for their third consecutive division title. 

Continue reading "Perfect Cubs transition: Nationals to Phillies"

Good ol' Canadian James Richard Harden showed us why the Cubs got him when he pitched 2 innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against Seattle.

The cubs have been all tip-toe with Rich, limiting his throws since he's been taking trips to the DL for the past 3 seasons, and was on the stint when he was traded.

Continue reading "Rich Harden Debuts, Finally"

me (I hope), all the best to him, and hopefully he's feeling great by the time 2009 rolls around.

Rich Harden had his shoulder examined on Wednesday, before the Cubs' deadline to pick up his 2009 option.

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ve what it takes with the rotation of Carlos Zambrano (13-5, 3.53 ERA), Ryan Dempster (15-5, 2.95), Rich Harden (9-2), and Ted Lilly (13-8). Jason Marquis has been adequate throughout the year, and Sean Marshall has given them some solid starts, either of which could give them quality innings early if needed in the playoffs (assuming the Cubs don't choke!). The bullpen is solid with righty fireballers Carlos Marmol, Jaff Samardzija, Chad Gaudin, and Bob Howry, as well as lefty Neal Cotts, and Kerry Wood nailing down games as a closer (28 saves in 33 chances). His stuff is still sick. Truth be told, Howry, Cotts, and Gaudin have had their share of struggles lately, but they have been good enough, and more help in this department could be on its way if Michael Wuertz, Jon Lieber, Kevin Hart, or Angel Guzman got in a groove as a late season call-up. 

Continue reading "Why the Cubs WILL Win the World Series ..."

er than expected this year with the surprising success of Ryan Dempster, the mid-season addition of Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin, and the presence of the long-time Cub, Kerry Wood, closing out t

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osted on here.  The cubs are looking good up to the all-star break so far.  They just got Rich Harden which may be a good pick up for this year but I am a little worried about his his

Continue reading "Let's take a Break"

The other big trade that happened recently was the Cubs’ acquisition of the oft-injured Rich Harden from Oakland. This move is typical of Oakland’s business model, which involves shedding young stars before they get too expensive, often in exchange for other young or undervalued stars. In this way, they’re similar to the Florida Marlins, except that the Marlins tend to load up for concentrated runs at the championship (they have as many championships in the last decade as big-market Boston, and more than the Cubs have in the past hundred years), while the A’s tend towards consistent competitiveness.

Continue reading "NL Central Trade Analysis, Part Two"

It’s been three days since the Cubs acquired former Oakland ace Rich Harden, and those three days have shown a lot about the club. Harden has said he couldn’t be happier in pinstripes and has so far looked like a good fit in the clubhouse. He instantly has formed a sort of kinship with fellow British Columbian Ryan Dempster, and has received the praise of pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Like fellow former American Leaguer stud pitcher “CC” Sabathia, Harden has been place right in the middle of the Senior Circuit’s best race so far. With the Central’s big three clubs separated by less than five games, the division could go either way. For the Cubs,

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ngels offense instantly boasts more pop than they demonstrated last year.

Oakland Athletics

Can Rich Harden and Bobby Crosby finally stay health?

And to follow up on that question, if they are healthy, will they still be in Oakland at the end of the season?

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: American League West"