• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cubs win in 11 in Harden's debut

Jul 12, 2008 - 11:30 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- After Rich Harden dazzled in his Chicago Cubs' debut, Carlos Marmol look dazed. Fortunately for the Cubs, Sean Marshall delivered when it mattered most.

Marshall tossed two scoreless innings and set up the winning run with a leadoff single in the bottom of the 11th inning Saturday as the Cubs overcame Marmol's meltdown to post an 8-7 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Reed Johnson singled in Mark DeRosa with the game-winner as the Cubs (57-37) climbed 20 games over .500, matching a season high Chicago escaped with the win despite squandering a 7-0 lead after seven innings.

"Marshall did a nice job in the 10th and 11th and then he got a big hit," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "DeRosa made a beautiful slide at the end of the game and we got some clutch hitting from Reed Johnson. It's a shame the game got away from us in the eighth and ninth inning."

Harden tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out 10 in his first start for the Cubs, looking right at home on the Wrigley Field mound. He allowed five hits and walked three, but dominated the weak-hitting Giants with an overpowering fastball.

"I would have liked to go deeper in the game but I threw a lot of pitches (96)," Harden said. "I got behind hitters and walked some guys. I gave up some two-strike hits."

Acquired from the Oakland Athletics earlier in the week, Harden received a standing ovation when he was lifted by Piniella.

"It's a really cool feeling," Harden said of the fan support. "With Oakland, I didn't get a chance to pitch here, but it's amazing the way the fans get into it here. It's very exciting and you try to use it as motivation."

But a seemingly easy win nearly turned into a nightmare for the Cubs, as San Francisco scored two runs in the eighth off Kevin Hart, then erupted for five in the ninth off Marmol.

With closer Kerry Wood unavailable, Piniella elected to stay with Marmol, even though he had Marshall warning up in the bullpen. Marmol allowed five hits and a walk before finally getting the last out in the inning.

After the Giants pulled within 7-5, Marmol hit Rich Aurilia to load the bases. Another run scored when pinch hitter Eliezer Alfonzo reached on an infield single. Shortstop Ryan Theriot made a diving stop on Alfonzo's hit but tried to make a play at second while lying on his back. It was an ill-advised attempt as his throw sailed over the head of second baseman Mike Fontenot, allowing the tying run to come home.

The inning finally ended when rookie Ivan Ochoa flied out to right field in his second at-bat of the frame. Ochoa opened the ninth with a double - his first career hit.

Marshall (2-2) quieted the Giants and opened the bottom of the 11th with a sharp single up the middle off Brian Wilson (0-2), who also was working his second inning. After DeRosa walked, Marshall was forced at third when Mike Fontenot bunted too hard.

But Johnson slapped a single through the second-base hole into shallow right field and DeRosa raced home, barely beating the throw by right fielder Emmanuel Burriss.

"When you are growing up as a kid, you are always going five, four, three, two, one, and shooting the basketball to make a game-winning shot or trying for the game-winning hit in Little League," Johnson said. "The guys in this clubhouse would all like to be up in that situation."

Replays appeared to show clearly that DeRosa slid in ahead of the tag by catcher Bengie Molina, but Molina wasn't completely sure.

"I put my glove right in front of the plate and (DeRosa) slide in right on top of it," he said. "The umpire (Mike Dimuro) had a good angle so he probably saw something I did not see or could feel."

Jim Edmonds drove in four runs for the Cubs with a two-run homer in the third and a two-run double in the fourth, when Chicago scored four times to open a 7-0 lead.

The Cubs pounded Giants starter Kevin Correia, who surrendered seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.

"This was just the worst outing I've had in a long time," Correia said. "Today, from pitch one, everything went wrong. I didn't make pitches when I had to. I feel like I didn't belong on the field with those guys (Cubs) today."