Welcome to Chicago, Mr. Harden

While the Oakland Athletics were only six games behind the Los Angeles Angels when they traded Rich Harden to the Chicago Cubs, I don't think many people were expecting the A's to actually catch and pass the Angels. Obviously, Billy Beane didn't think it mattered, or else he wouldn't have made the deal.

So when Harden came to Chicago, he was entering a whole new world as he became one of the newest knights of Cubdom's round table. Not only was he thrust into the middle of what could be baseball's most exciting division race, but he suddenly found himself pitching in front of 40,000 people, and they were all cheering for him.

That kind of stuff just never happened in Oakland.

Still, after two starts with the Cubs, Harden has also learned that not everything in Cubdom is always what it seems. In those two starts, Rich has been his typical (when healthy) dominant self. He's pitched 12 1/3 innings, allowed six hits, one run, and struck out 20.

He's also 0-1 after the Cubs were shutout by Randy Johnson in his start last night, and his new bullpen blew a seven-run lead in his first start against the Giants. So Rich already knows all too well what life is like when you're wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey.

The good news for both Harden and the Cubs is that he has pitched so well and is showing none of the signs of breaking down that were being reported after the trade. There is no drop in velocity and he is overpowering hitters. It's only a matter of time before his teammates start helping him out, and the sooner the better, as the Cubs lead in the Central has shrunk to only two games.