Ouch, my back aches and my shoulder hurts just typing this, but … what’s up with Harden?
7.36 and 1.55 in 11 IP since his return from the you-know-where, including last nite’s disaster against CLE, 7 ER in 5 IP.
Have seen no news reports of continuing pain, and also have seen none of the brilliance he showed many times last season. I held on during his long DL stint, but having followed Harden's many merry-go-round rides on the DL over a few years I’m thinking it’s not an unreasonable gamble to just drop him now…
Is there something wrong with Rich Harden? The guy just doesn’t look like himself. He hasn’t really been that dominant guy we saw last year much at all. Without a spirited comeback by the Cubs today, Harden would have been hung with the loss. He had his worst start of the year as he allowed seven earned runs over five innings, walked three, and struck out two. Harden also allowed two more home runs, which is not like him. I guess that you have to keep starting him if you own him, but I would certainly see if anyone remembers the lights out season he had last year. I’m not sure that something is wrong, but this just isn’t Harden.
By Andy Behrens Yahoo Sports * June 25 Unlikely as it sounds, many of us are beginning to miss the old Rich Harden -- the unhealthy version. He was delicate, sure, but the innings he gave you were brilliant even if they weren't plentiful.
This 2009 model is like the anti-Harden: He's ineffective, yet he just won't stop pitching. These were his comments after Wednesday's 5-3 loss:
“It was an ugly game and I was unhappy with my performance,” he said. “That’s all I have to say.”
Harden needed 109 pitches to get through 5.1 innings against Detroit. He walked four batters and gave up solo homers to Miguel Cabrera and Gerald Laird. Harden has allowed 13 home runs in 60 innings this year; he yielded only 11 over 148 frames in '08. His velocity was OK on Wednesday, topping out at 95 mph in the first, but he threw just 58 pitches for strikes. The ball that Cabrera crushed was placed on a tee.
Harden's been dropped in my 10 team money league... and I've put in a waiver claim to pick him up. Even if he continues to struggle, I had him on my squad last year and there's just waay too much upside this guy possess to simply dump. Of course he may be injured, but if/when he ever gets healthy, he's unhittable.
Brewers Rip Harden, Cubs, 11-2 Saturday, July 4 CHICAGO (AP) — Casey McGehee homered while setting career-highs with four hits and five RBIs to help the Milwaukee Brewers pound Rich Harden and the Chicago Cubs 11-2 on Saturday and snap a three-game losing streak.
The Cubs had won three in a row after going 11-14 in June, but this was simply a brutal afternoon all around—especially for Harden.
Harden (5-5) allowed seven runs and eight hits over two-plus innings in the shortest start of his career. Harden fell to 1-4 in his last six starts while throwing—in his words— “batting practice.”
Walks are up a bit at 4+ BB/9. GB, LD and FB rates are not out of line, balls and strikes around his career norms, fastball is comparable. It looks like a very high HR/FB rate, along with high BABIP, and an increase in BB/9 are leading to lousy results.
Is it possible he's just been unlucky so far? If that HR/FB comes back to earth along with the BABIP the results could be much better. Unless he's just grooving it down the middle to everyone.
I'm trying to decide if I should try to buy low. I know his owners are losing patience and he could be gotten, maybe for a bag of rocks and a ball of yarn. If he turns it around that would be real a nice coup.
As a Harden owner, I would be tempted by a trade offer as lucrative as a "bag of rocks and ball of yarn". Thrown in a rosin bag and it would be a sure thing.
Although Harden's season K/9 is stil quite good, it should be noted that Harden had 35 k's in his first 4 game (21 IP). In the nine starts since then, it has dropped to 7.9 K/9 and he has had 5 starts with 4 or less Ks. He definately isn't missing enough bats anymore.
I drafted Harden expecting for 130 to 160 IP of dominance with a couple DL stints sprinkled in. Who cares if he stays healthy enough for 175 IP if he pitches like crap?
Another utterly disappointing start from Harden today. I guess us Harden owners are lucky that he only gave up four earned, because he pitched much worse than his line reflects today against STL.
5IP, 7 Hits, 4ER, 4BB, 6K.
In line for the loss as well. I think I'm ready to jump ship. Question is, who is better out there... Jordan Zimmerman, Joel Pineiro, Kevin Correia, Andrew Miller, Manny Parra, Joe Blanton, or Jorge de la Rosa...
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by AdvRider » Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:56 am 
I know his owners are losing patience and he could be gotten, maybe for a bag of rocks and a ball of yarn. If he turns it around that would be real a nice coup.
