Write it down: It’s June 29, and Chien-Ming Wang has finally earned his first win of the season.

True, a pitchers success cannot be measured in wins and losses. True also that yesterday was not Wang’s first good outing since his return from the DL. His last two losses can be attributed in part to what I like to refer to as Johan Santana Syndrome — otherwise known as no run support.  However, I don’t care what anyone says about the actual significance of wins and losses — a 0 in the win column is a heavy psychological burden to bear for a guy who has been struggling all season.  For this reason, last night must have been a relief.

More importantly, perhaps, last night was Wang’s third solid outing in a row.   I, for one, am starting to exhale. No, Wang has not yet returned to his 19-win form of yore. No, he has not yet pitched a six-inning outing since his stint on the DL.  No, he doesn’t even have a single-digit ERA just yet.  At the moment he is what I would describe as simply, well, solid — solid and increasingly improving. Still, I have always expressed nothing but confidence in Wang.  My trust in him has yet to waver.  Sometimes, patience is the thing.  I stand behind my assertion that Wang can be our guy — our homegrown ace.

Wang’s performance last night, backed by the backup relief duo of Phils capped our sweep of the Mets, closing out interleague play. On the subject of pitching, CC and A.J. really came through for us this weekend, delivering the kind of stellar performances that make you go, “Wow. Now that’s why we paid those guys stupid amounts of money.” On Friday, CC allowed three hits and one run in seven innings, which apparently served as A.J.’s inspiration on Saturday. A.J. commented, “I thought about it all night.  He established what a starter wants to do.”  As did A.J. who threw a one-hitter himself on Saturday.

More than earning bragging rights — frankly, I only care about those where the Chowdas are concerned — I’m just happy about the sweep.  Hell, I’m happy about the win.  After a a rough week, it’s nice to see that we’ve finally been able to string together a couple of series victories in a row.

By the way, if in reading this you find yourself wondering why it is that I’ve buried the lead on last night’s game, don’t worry. There will be Mo on that later.  As they say in the Midwest, it’s gonna happen.