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| Height: 6-1
Weight: 180
Throws: R
Bats: L Born: Nov 30, 1981, Victoria, BC |
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| Profile | Player News | Articles | Split Stats | Game Log | Player Comparison |
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Player Notes |
| October 8, 2008 The Cubs have decided to pick up Rich Harden's $7 million option for 2009, according to the AP. |
| October 7, 2008 Rich Harden will have his shoulder examined this week, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs want to know if there are any problems before deciding whether or not to pick up his $7 million option for next season. |
| October 5, 2008 Rich Harden allowed three earned runs on five hits over 4.1 innings in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS, with three walks and four strikeouts. |
| October 4, 2008 Rich Harden says his shoulder is fine despite that he had to get a cortisone shot last month, according to the Arlington Daily Herald. "Just regular maintenance," said Harden. "I guess some people think it's an issue. There's nothing going on. Regular maintenance, getting ready for the postseason." |
| September 22, 2008 Rich Harden will have his next start pushed back to Thursday with Sean Marshall filling in on Tuesday, according to the Cubs Official Website. Harden is not hurt. "Harden says it's the best he's felt, but we're starting to get ourselves rearranged for the postseason," manager Lou Pinella said. |
| September 18, 2008 Rich Harden only gave up one hit in five innings and struck out seven but he also walked six Brewers. In Harden's five innings his pitch total rose quickly to 115. When Harden exited after the fifth inning, he was in line for the win but the bullpen gave it back to the Brewers. The Cubs offense came to the bullpen's rescue as they rallied for a 7-6 win in 11 innings. |
| September 11, 2008 Rich Harden helped to defeat the Cardinals on Thursday night as he worked six innings allowing just two runs in his 10th win of the year, fifth with the Cubs, despite reduced velocity on his fastball. |
| September 10, 2008 The struggling Cubs lost again Tuesday, but it was a good day nonetheless as starting pitchers Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden look like they will be good to make their next starts. Harden, 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA since joining the Cubs on July 8, is set to rejoin the rotation on Thursday. |
| September 5, 2008 Rich Harden threw Friday without experiencing any problems according to the AP. He missed his last start with discomfort in his arm. |
| September 4, 2008 Cubs pitcher Rich Harden has discomfort in his throwing arm, which is why the Cubs skipped his last start, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Harden said he was feeling pretty good, but, "I've had a little bit of, I guess you could call it discomfort, but nothing serious." |
| September 2, 2008 In an effort to keep him healthy, the Chicago Cubs are giving hurler Rich Harden a few extra days of rest, and he will skip his next start, according to Cubs.com. |
| August 29, 2008 Rich Harden allowed one earned run on three hits over five innings in Friday's 3-2 win over the Phillies on the north side of Chicago, with four walks and five strikeouts. Philadelphia was leading the game 2-0 when he exited, so he was dealt a no decision. |
| August 24, 2008 The Cubs found another strong outing from ace Rich Harden off the mound today, putting Washington to bed for the 6-1 win. Harden pitched seven innings, allowing just one run on two hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts. |
| August 19, 2008 The Cubbies put the hurt on the Cincinnati Reds this evening, thanks to the arm of ace Rich Harden. Harden went seven innings of shutout baseball, allowing just two hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts. |
| August 13, 2008 Rich Harden picked up his second win with Chicago by throwing five shutout innings and allowing just two hits in the Cubs 8-0 blowout of Atlanta. Harden walked five and struck out two. |
| August 5, 2008 MLB.com reports Chicago Cubs SP Rich Harden (1-1, 1.11 ERA) will start Tuesday, August 5, against the Houston Astros. |
| July 31, 2008 Rich Harden must really like pitching in the National League, because he's been awfully good since coming to Chicago. He got his first NL win today, throwing seven innings, allowing one earned run and striking out nine. |
| July 26, 2008 It took 12 innings, but the Marlins found the hits in the 12th inning to pull the dramatic 3-2 win over the Cubs, wasting another strong outing from RHP Rich Harden . Harden didn't go deep, pitching just five innings, but he allowed just one run on two lowly hits with three walks and an impressive 10 strikeouts. |
| July 21, 2008 Rich Harden struck out 10 Diamondbacks over seven innings on Monday, but he took a loss. The right-hander also allowed only one hit and one run (a solo homer), but Randy Johnson and two relievers held the Cubs scoreless. |
| July 12, 2008 It took 11 innings, but the Cubbies have laid the San Francisco Giants to rest, 8-7. The win in late innings failed to give newly-acquired ace Rich Harden his first win as a National League employee, though the righty pitched well, going 5 1/3 innings by allowing no runs on five hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts. |
| July 9, 2008 The Cubs have announced newly-acquired ace Rich Harden will make his first start as a Cub this weekend, though they have not specified if it will be on Friday or Saturday, according to CBSSports.com. |
| July 8, 2008 Rich Harden has been traded to the Chicago Cubs for Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson and Josh Donaldson. |
| July 7, 2008 The Cubs have reportedly been talking with Athletics' GM Billy Beane with interest in acquiring Rich Harden, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. |
| July 6, 2008 Rich Harden suffered his first loss of the season on Sunday against the White Sox. He lasted just five innings, walked four, struck out four and gave up five hits. |
| July 3, 2008 Rich Harden had decreased velocity of four to five miles per hour in his start Tuesday night, saying he had "kind of a dead arm," according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Harden got a no decision, pitching five innings and allowing two earned runs against the Angels in the start. |
| June 28, 2008 Reports out of baseball are indicating Oakland general manager Billy Beane may be preparing to step down from his post at the end of the season, according to Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News. |
| June 26, 2008 Rich Harden ran his record to 5-0 after going eight innings while allowing just two hits and no earned runs in Oakland's 5-0 victory over Philadelphia. He also struck out 11 batters. |
| June 21, 2008 Rich Harden needed 98 pitches to make it through 5.2 innings, but in the end he held the Marlins to just one earned run in a no-decision. |
| June 15, 2008 Rich Harden is getting almost predictable. Each time he takes the ball he dominated his opponent. For the second start in a row, Harden recorded nine strikeouts and kept his record perfect, helping Oakland to a 4-0 victory over the Giants. |
| June 14, 2008 Give LHP Rich Harden full credit, for he was as stellar as could be promised this evening as Oakland put the dominating 4-0 win over San Francisco. Harden pitched six innings of shutout baseball, allowing just one hit and two walks along the way. Harden totaled nine strikeouts, four ground outs, and four fly outs to get the win, his fourth of the season. |
| June 8, 2008 Oakland RHP Rich Harden put forth a noteworthy effort today in support of the 7-3 extra-inning win over the Angels, pitching six innings to allow three runs (all earned) on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts. Harden left the mound and let a group of five relievers reel in the win, giving Harden no decision. |
| June 3, 2008 Rich Harden struck out eight Tigers over 6.2 innings on Monday night. He also allowed five hits and two runs and walked three. Harden was saddled with a no-decision. |
| May 28, 2008 Rich Harden didn't pick up a win Wednesday, but it wasn't his fault. The righty allowed just one run on five hits while striking out five over seven innings in a 2-1 loss to Toronto. |
| May 17, 2008 Rich Harden allowed one run on four hits, walked one and struck out eight over seven innings for his second win of the season. |
| May 12, 2008 Rich Harden's first start back from the disabled list wasn't good. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed five runs on eight hits, walked four and struck out five in 3.2 innings of work against the Rangers. |
| May 11, 2008 Rich Harden, who returned from a month long stay on the disabled list, threw 87 pitches in his first start against the Rangers. The hard-throwing right-hander was far from impressive allowing five runs on eight hits, walked four and struck out five in 3.2 innings of work. |
| May 11, 2008 The A's have activated Rich Harden off the 15-day DL, and the right-hander will start against the Rangers on Sunday, the Ticker confirms. Harden has been out since April 3 due to a strained right shoulder. |
| May 7, 2008 The A's announced on Wednesday that Rich Harden would come off the disabled list on Sunday and start against the Rangers, according to the Sports Ticker. |
| May 6, 2008 Rich Harden was mostly brilliant in his second rehab start on Tuesday. He allowed only three hits over six scoreless innings and struck out nine batters. Harden walked none but did plunk three guys. He was pitching for High-A Stockton. Harden has been out since April 2 due to a right shoulder strain. |
| May 2, 2008 Rich Harden was pleased with the results of his rehab start Thursday, as he allowed three hits and a run while striking out four over 3 2/3 innings. He threw 50 pitches. "I was actually pretty happy with my command," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. "That's something I wanted to get out of it, and that's what I wanted to work on because it hadn't been that good in my simulated game. I felt like I was hitting my spots. For the most part, I threw a lot of strikes." Harden, who has been out since April 2 with a strain under his right arm, is scheduled for another rehab start Tuesday and if all goes well, he's likely to return to the A's rotation on May 11. |
| April 29, 2008 Rich Harden threw a 25-pitch side session, all fastballs, and he is scheduled for a rehab start at Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, according to the SF Chronicle. Harden is likely to make another start after that, meaning his most likely date to return to the rotation is May 11 at Texas or, depending on how the team shuffles the rotation, May 13 at Cleveland. He is recovering from a right shoulder strain. |
| April 26, 2008 Rich Harden will throw a simulated game at Safeco Field this afternoon with a pitch count of around 50, according to the SF Chronicle. He has been on the shelf with a right shoulder strain since April 2. Harden is most likely to return for the May 9-11 series at Texas. |
| April 23, 2008 Rich Harden threw 16 pitches in the bullpen on Wednesday, only the second time that he has been on the hill since his last start on April 2nd, according to MLB.com. Harden threw the pitches at about 80%. Harden will throw a simulated game on Saturday, but after that no one is quite sure what will happen next. |
| April 20, 2008 Rich Harden threw long toss for the second time in three days, but has yet to do any work off a mound, according to the SF Chronicle. He continues to rehab from a right shoulder strain. |
| April 18, 2008 Rich Harden made 25 throws from roughly 80 feet on Thursday. It was his first such activity since he went on the DL due to a strained back muscle behind his right shoulder, the Oakland Tribune reports. |
| April 16, 2008 Rich Harden hasn't begun throwing, but he believes he will do so soon, according to the SF Chronicle. The team is giving him an extra few days to make sure there is no lingering soreness in his ailing right shoulder. |
| April 13, 2008 The A's think there's a chance Rich Harden could be back in the rotation by the end of the month, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Harden is out due to a muscle strain under his right arm. He did not play catch on Sunday due to the cold weather. |
| April 10, 2008 Rich Harden is headed to the 15-day disabled list, this according to Inside Bay Area. Harden is nursing a strained back muscle that is slow to improve. Joey Devine will be called up from Triple-A Sacramento to take Harden's spot on the roster. This is Harden's sixth stint on the DL since the start of the 2005 season. |
| April 9, 2008 After tossing the ball around on Wednesday, A's right-hander Rich Harden, said he doesn't think he's likely to be on the mound Saturday at Cleveland, this according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Harden said the strain is on his right side, basically under his arm, and he still feels it when he throws. The injury is minor, according to Harden, but he and the team don't want him to push it and make things worse. Lenny DiNardo is expected to get Saturday's start in place of Harden. |
| April 8, 2008 Rich Harden was scratched for his Tuesday start but he is expected to return to the mound on Saturday against Cleveland, according to the Miami Herald. His actual ailment was never revealed, but it is believed to be back soreness caused from the team's long flight to Japan. This is good news, as there was initial fear that Harden may have been making a trip to the DL. |
| April 7, 2008 You knew it was too good to be true didn't you? On Monday night the A's announced that Rich Harden would be scratched from his start on Tuesday night and replaced by Chad Gaudin, this according to the San Francisco Chronicle. At this point we have no idea why Harden will be held out of the start, but the report hints that a DL trip is possible, then again, the same thing could be said for Harden every day of the year. |
| April 2, 2008 Rich Harden was limited by a strictly enforced pitch count (do not fear, he is not injured) in his second outing today, working just 5 innings in today's 5-0 shutout loss to the Boston Red Sox. Despite the short stint on the mound, Harden looked solid, allowing no runs on just four hits, walking four but striking out 6. This brings Harden to 11 innings over two starts, allowing a total of just one run on seven hits with 15 strike outs, touting an ERA of 0.82 with a .179 BAA. |
| March 26, 2008 Rich Harden dazzled the Red Sox with six strong innings of work on Wednesday. He allowed three hits and one run, walked three, struck out nine, and earned his first win since April 4, 2007. It was Harden's first start since July 7, and the results were clearly promising. |
| March 20, 2008 Rich Harden continues to progress this spring and has been effective in all of his outings. Harden pitched six innings and allowed two runs in Oakland's 6-1 loss to the Angels on Wednesday. The hard throwing right-hander struck out four, walked one and is ready to begin the season with a clean bill of health. All Harden needs is to start 30 games this year (any year for that matter), and he's a Cy Young candidate based on talent alone. |
| March 19, 2008 Rich Harden worked six innings on Wednesday and allowed eight hits and two runs to the Angels. He also walked one and struck out four. Harden posted a 5.73 ERA over his previous 11.0 innings this spring. Wednesday marked his longest outing and the best indication yet that he is ready following an injury-plagued 2007. |
| March 19, 2008 The Yankees are apparently interested in Rich Harden, a source informs the San Francisco Chronicle. |
| March 8, 2008 Rich Harden , making his second spring start after missing most of last season with a sore right shoulder, was roughed up for three runs on four hits and a walk in the first inning of a 6-7 loss to the Cubs, according to MLB.com. Harden allowed seven hits (five for extra bases), four runs, two walks and a home run, while whiffing two in his three innings. However, Harden remains positive that he is headed in the right direction, saying he was working on realigning his motion so that his arm, hip and legs all moved fluidly and directly toward home plate. Coming into the spring, Harden hadn't pitched since last July 7. When asked what working on these mechanics would help, Harden answered, "Everything." |
| March 4, 2008 Rich Harden was pleased with his first spring outing Monday despite giving up two runs on four hits over three innings. "I'm glad that guys were able to get on, because I really only upped that intensity level for a couple of pitches," he said in the Mercury News. "I just wanted to stay in control, and I was able to do that." Health is always the issue with Harden. Will this be the year he stays pain-free enough to make 30 starts? Don't bet on it. |
| February 28, 2008 Rich Harden highlights from Wednesday's intrasquad contest featured impressive work from the right-hander, according to the Mercury News. The right-hander allowed but one opposite-field single, to Emil Brown, and struck out two in two innings "Oh yeah, I've been feeling that way the last couple of weeks," Harden said. "(Until Wednesday) I'd been limited to two simulated innings." His next trip to the mound will be Monday in a Cactus League game against the Los Angeles Angels. |
| February 19, 2008 The A's are already trying to simulate game-type conditions for Rich Harden and Joe Blanton, the two pitchers scheduled to start the March 25-26 season-opening series in Tokyo against Boston, according to the Mercury News. The oft-injured Harden threw 40 pitches, including a few breaking balls, off a mound Monday. The right-hander enters camp healthy, but it should only be a matter of time before he comes down with his first ailment. |
| February 18, 2008 Rich Harden had a good day on Monday as he fired 40 pitches in a sort of simulated game according to a report on MLB.com. "It's somewhere between a bullpen and batting practice," said manager Bob Geren. "He threw the ball great. I liked the way the ball was coming out of his hands." Any ball coming out of his hands is a great sign, and while all signs look great this spring for Harden, we have seen this too many times before. Harden has to be drafted based on his potential alone in all fantasy leagues, but you will likely end up kicking yourself if you reach at all to call his name. |
| February 15, 2008 Rich Harden threw his first bullpen session of Spring Training on Friday, and according to the team's official website, the results were positive. Harden threw 40 pitches to Kurt Suzuki, keeping the ball down and the velocity high. "He looked like Rich Harden when he's healthy," Suzuki said. "I'm pumped I can finally catch him." Harden said after his bullpen. "He's (Suzuki) really good at getting me down in the zone, better than most catchers I've worked with," Harden's big league history is full of dominating performances, unfortunately his ability to stay healthy has been the bigger story during his career. |
| February 14, 2008 Rich Harden is not happy with how he was handled by A's management last year. "The whole year (last season) I've got people in the organization telling me I'm fine, that I've got to pitch with pain," Harden said in the Mercury News. "It's insulting, because they don't know what's going on." Harden refused to point his finger at a specific individual. "I've got a lot of stuff to say. I don't want to say it," he said. Harden made just seven appearances last year because of injures. He said he second-guessed a decision to have him pitch in relief as he tried to come back from a strained shoulder. The righty feels fine at the moment, but it's clear injuries will always be an issue with him. |
| February 9, 2008 Rich Harden has thrown off a mound three times in the past week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Pitching coach Curt Young said the pitcher "feels tremendous." Harden took part in just seven games last season due to his frail body, so it's good to hear something positive about his health heading into spring training. |
| January 25, 2008 Rich Harden, who was limited to just seven games last year due to injury issues, has been on a throwing program four days per week, and he could begin pitching off a mound by next week, according to the Boston Herald. As things stand now, Harden is slated to be Oakland's No. 2 starter behind Joe Blanton. Harden has all of the upside in the world, but his inability to stay healthy makes him nothing more mid-round pick, at best. |