Wow

Which is more surprising?

That we're three games above for the first time since 10/05, of the freakin' 1-hit shutout!?

Redding wasn't dominant, but he looks like a different pitcher. he's throwing harder, which allows him to live up in the zone, making his curve/slider combo all the more effective low. He threw an especially nasty change, diving down and away from Ryan Howard for strike three earlier in the game.

Hey, how 'bout that Zimmerman? I loved Carpenter's "analysis" there. First inning, after Milledge walks on 4 pitches, Zimmerman jumps all over the first pitch, and pops it high to the wall in left. Later, in the AB he homered in, he fell behind 0-2, before going with a pitch and letting it float into the stands in right. Carpenter said something like "I'm not sure if he's a veteran enough to be doing this, but he might have set Hamels up by going to left earlier in the game." Yeah, he's such a professional hitter, he even let Hamels get 0-2 in the later AB just to lull him into a false sense of security. Bob needs to leave the analysis to Don.

MASN NEEDS TO CHANGE THEIR GRAPHICS. The base markers make it look like the opposite. They're lit up when nobody is on, and darker when there's a runner on the base. It looks like there are runners on all over the place.

Zimmerman made a few nifty defensive plays, including one terrific snag, where he again went for the lead runner on a close play. I've never seen a 3B go for the tough play as consistently as him, and those really have to add up over the course of a season. He turns runners on 2nd with one out situations into a runner at first with one out in a way that no other 3B does. I'm not sure the defensive metrics account for the 5-3 as opposed to the 5-4 putouts and the run effect that'd have.

Nick Johnson made a few nice picks and plays at first. We're at about 5-6 plays (if not more) that I'm confident Dmitri would not have made at first. They shouldn't be adding up that rapidly, but they are.

I'm still stunned at Redding's outing. Rauch was effective in his outing, too. I'm not worried about him as closer, even if time's likely to show that he'll have about the same effectiveness as Cordero. I'm just glad it didn't end with Howard up there as the winning run. I'm not sure my pyloric valve could've taken it.

It might not last for the year, but dammit, this feels good. So much better than the start to last year, which really soured me on the whole experience. StanK has to be feeling happy today. Winning breeds ticket sales, and I hear they're going fast. (I hear that at least 5 times a day, though, so I'm not sure whether to believe it or not!)

Thanks to everyone who popped into the game chat from the link below. It was a ton of fun talking about the game and sharing misery and joy!