Hits no problem for Bucs

The Pirates on Monday were able to put pressure on Chicago Cubs right-hander Rich Harden. Scoring runs, however, was a different story. The Pirates knocked out eight hits ? seven of them singles ? over Harden's final three innings, but all it added up to was a 3-1 loss against the Cubs. Once again, left-hander Zach Duke (8-6) was the victim of poor run support. The Pirates have scored a total of five runs in Duke's six losses. "We've struggled to give a lot of our pitchers support this year," Freddy Sanchez said. "We've been up and down. Zach's pitched great all year and we haven't been able to give him run support on a consistent basis." Sanchez went 0 for 4 and twice failed to come through in clutch situations. He left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and hit into a double play in the seventh. "We had some opportunities," manager John Russell said. "We had the right guys at the plate, but just couldn't get it done. Harden did a nice job of keeping us off balance, but we need to find a way to break that game out and get a couple runs. We just didn't." Harden (5-4) won for the first time since May 12, snapping a career-worst three-game losing streak. He worked seven innings and allowed a run on nine hits and a walk and struck out nine. "It was his changeup," said Brandon Moss, who went 1-for-4. "He's got a good fastball that gets on you and it'll get by you, especially when he elevates it. But his changeup was really good tonight. He kept it down and he threw it in all counts. "He must know we're a really aggressive team. He kept us off balance with the changeup all night." Moss faced Harden before when both players were in the American League. Back then, Harden pitched off his four-seamer with a split-fingered fastball. "Now, he stopped throwing (the split), I guess," Moss said. "He throws the changeup, and it's just as good, if not better. It's never any fun to face him." Duke was one pitch away from getting out of a jam in the second inning, but did not escape unscathed. Jake Fox and Geovany Soto hit back-to-back singles. Duke got Milton Bradley to fly out and struck out Ryan Freel. But on an 0-2 pitch, No. 8 hitter Andres Blanco reached down for a slider and dropped an RBI single into center field. "I wanted to bounce it, but I left it too much in the zone," Duke said. With one out in the third, Ryan Theriot hit a solo homer to left. Soto walked to start the fourth and scored on Milton Bradley's double. Harden retired 12 of the first 14 batters he faced, six of them by strikeout. Andy LaRoche began the fifth inning with a double to right field. LaRoche went to third on Jason Jaramillo's ground out. He scored on Wilson's grounder to second to make it 3-1. Duke singled to right. Andrew McCutchen reached on an infield single. Nyjer Morgan slapped a single to left, loading the bases. All that extra work went for naught, however. Harden froze Sanchez with a 95 mph fastball, fooled him with a slider, then got Sanchez to hit an easy comebacker to the mound. In the sixth, Harden struck out the side for the second time to choke off another rally. The inning began with Adam LaRoche's third strikeout of the game. Moss and Andy LaRoche hit back-to-back singles. Jaramillo and Wilson whiffed. Ramon Vazquez, pinch-hitting for Duke, began the seventh with a single. With one out, Morgan blooped a single to left-center, his third hit in a row. But Sanchez snuffed the threat by rolling into a double play. How they scored Cubs second inning (Zach Duke pitching): Jake Fox singled to right field. Geovany Soto singled to left, Fox to second. With two outs, Andres Blanco singled to center, Fox scored, Soto to second. Cubs 1, Pirates 0 Cubs third: With one out, Ryan Theriot hit a solo home run (No. 7) to left on a 1-0 pitch. Cubs 2, Pirates 0 Cubs fourth: Soto walked. Milton Bradley doubled to center, Soto scored. Cubs 3, Pirates 0 Pirates fifth (Rich Harden pitching): Andy LaRoche doubled to center. Jason Jaramillo grounded out to pitcher, LaRoche to third. Jack Wilson grounded out to second base, LaRoche scored. Cubs 3, Pirates 1