cubs are going to take it easy on him, give him an extra day between starts and skip him sometimes to try to keep him fresh late into the season http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-080709-rich-harden-chicago-cubs,1,5662681.story The Cubs plan on doing everything possible to keep Harden healthy, short of keeping him in a protective bubble. They will give him an extra day between starts, and could even skip a start on occasion, if necessary, to ensure his readiness in October. The risk of injury is why Harden was made available, despite the fact Oakland remains in a tight playoff race with the Angels in the American League West. "Let's not be na�ve," general manager Jim Hendry said. "If he hadn't spent a lot of time on the DL the last few years, he's not in Chicago today—he's an untouchable." Now that he's a Cub, Harden will work closely with trainer Mark O'Neal and pitching coach Larry Rothschild to get on a schedule that keeps him as fresh as possible. "It's good to hear that," Harden said. "I feel like I can go out there every fifth or sixth day, and if I get a day off here or there, it definitely makes a difference. Just with the history of having some injuries, that one extra day does make a difference, so I think that's something that we'd do." Manager Lou Piniella said Harden would start the fourth game of the second-half in Arizona on July 21, which would give him eight days off if he makes his Cubs debut on Saturday. If he doesn't pitch this weekend, he will have a two-week break between starts. Piniella said hitting coach Gerald Perry, who was on Oakland's staff before coming to the Cubs, told him "This guy really competes. He can win. So let's keep him healthy." And how do the Cubs ensure that? "We have the luxury here of having six starters, so we can skip somebody if we need to," Piniella said. "We can work around it."