Harang hangs up the Cubs

Aramis Ramirez hit a line drive just inches over his head and Carlos Zambrano's broken bat missed him by just a couple of feet, but otherwise Aaron Harang enjoyed a great day at Wrigley Field. I was there to see him throw seven solid innings on seven-hit baseball. With the wind blowing out to left, Harang kept the ball down. He struck out just two batters, but did not allow an earned run, lowering his ERA to 2.00. Harang improves to 2-2 after a 7-1 Reds win.Harang winds in the sixth inning.
Harang looks in against Micah Hoffpauir on a perfect day for baseball at Wrigley.

Fantasy Impact: Harang proved to be one of the bigger disappointments last season, recording 17 losses. He's well on his way to righting the ship in 2009. We expect a continued return to past form - double-digit wins and No. 2 starter value in fantasy baseball.

Pitching late early

So much for early-season pitch counts. Cincinnati's Aaron Harang (108 pitches), Florida's Josh Johnson (113 pitches) and St. Louis' Kyle Lohse (112 pitches) all threw complete games on the season's first Sunday.

The Mariners' Erik Bedard (102 pitches) worked into the ninth before giving way to his bullpen in a 1-0 shutout of Oakland.