Get ready for more of this

Ever get the feeling that Zimmerman's going to be the major reason to come ot the park this summer? I've been here all spring, and I certainly do.

So we're headed to the bottom of the fourth here. Cards starter Anthony Reyes retired the first 11 guys he faced with little or no problem. Yes, Cristian Guzman hit a hard liner in his second at-bat that Albert Pujols speared, saving a hit. So that was a good sign for Guzman. But it wasn't until Zimmerman hit a hard grounder that second baseman Aaron Miles had to smother that the Nationals actually had a hit.

The Cardinals have a few. Simontacchi -- whose only previous big league experience came with St. Louis -- has retired Pujols twice, but he gave up a solo homer to Scott Rolen leading off the second, then gave up a double to John Rodriguez. Rodriguez moved around the bases on some grounders, and the Cardinals have a 2-0 lead headed to the bottom of the fourth.

(Old friend Gary Bennett had a hit off Simontacchi, too. Good dude, that Gary Bennett. I told him it's probably not that bad being a world champion and all. He said, "Except for the bodyguards, it's great." (He appeared for a total of zero (0) innings in the World Series, and is always self-depracating. Love it.)

Simontacchi gets the Cards in order (including Rolen and Rodriguez) and through four, it's Cardinals 2, Nationals 0.