Harden leads red hot Cubs to another win

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Chicago Cubs opened up a six-game lead in the National League Central with a 5-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, Rich Harden and two relievers combining on a three-hit shutout to pace the home team.

Harden allowed just two hits over seven innings, striking out 10 and walking none, and drove in the Cubs first run on a sacrifice bunt that scored catcher Geovany Soto from third base in the fifth inning.

The run was Harden's first career RBI and it held up until the eighth inning, when the Cubs tallied four times off the Reds bullpen after Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto (8-12) handcuffed them on one run and four hits over the first seven innings.

"Rich came in and set the tone early," Soto told reporters. "We had really good momentum going there.

"He's been really good for us this year, and everything was clicking for him tonight."

Chicago's four runs in the eighth -- two of them coming on a single by Kosuke Fukudome -- gave relievers Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood some breathing room in a game that was tight for the first seven innings.

Harden is now 3-1 with the Cubs since coming over in a deal from Oakland last month, and 8-2 overall. He threw 94 pitches in a dominating performance, facing just two batters over the minimum in his seven innings.

"We just got to watch him (Harden), keep him fresh and keep him strong," Chicago manager Lou Piniella said. "This kid is a competitor. He pitches with confidence and he's done a real nice job here, obviously."

The Cubs improved to 77-48, tied with Tampa Bay for the best record in the major leagues, and lifted their home record to an NL best 46-17 with their seventh win in eight games and 17th in their past 21.

"One thing about our pitching staff for a good while now, they've given us the chance to win games on a continual basis," Piniella said.

Jeff Keppinger had two of the Reds three hits, as Cincinnati remained last in the NL Central with its eighth loss in 11 games.

(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto; Editing by N.Ananthanarayanan)