By Morris Phillips

Yesterday, one run turned into four when St. Louis’ Kolten Wong botched a double play grounder off Gregor Blanco’s bat.  With that bit of assistance, the Giants waltzed to an 8-0 win over the Cardinals to capture three of the four games in the weekend series.

From good fortune and capable offense to shut-down pitching, the Giants are on a roll.  At 37-20, the Giants possess the major’s best record and its’ biggest division lead at 7 ½ games over the Dodgers with their rivals’ game pending on Monday evening. 

So with the Giants on a roll, there couldn’t be a better time for the team to test its luck.  With that in mind, a trip to Cincinnati and a date with staff ace Homer Bailey couldn’t provide a better test.

The Giants have dropped 10 of their last 11 regular season games in the Reds’ Great American Ballpark and last July 2 they were no-hit by Bailey there.  Even for a team currently residing in the clouds without a worry on the horizon, this represents quite a test.

And that’s before the bad taste in the collective mouths of the Reds over the 2012 Divisional Series is factored in.  The Reds returned home in that series up 2-0 only to drop three straight to the Giants on their home turf.  Cincinnati went home, and the Giants went on to win the World Series.

The Reds may be happy to see the Giants, but recent results don’t suggest that the NL Central’s third place team will be ready to pounce.  The Reds have scored the second-fewest runs in all of baseball and just a .500 team (12-12) in their ballpark. Just as importantly, Joey Votto, Cincinnati’s all-everything slugger, is suffering through an off-season, and is currently on the disabled list with a balky quad muscle.

Of course, the Giants are currently without Matt Cain, Michael Morse and just got Buster Posey back.    If momentum decides Tuesday’s matchup as well as the series, then Giants’ should be okay with starter Tim Lincecum, on the hill.  Lincecum pitched no-hit ball into the fifth inning in his last start against the Cubs at AT&T Park.  But Bailey’s a Giant killer, having posted a 2-0 record against San Francisco in six career starts.

Bailey hasn’t been lights out though: his 5.04 ERA would suggest he’s a ways away from repeating his no-hit feat on Tuesday. 

For the Giants, no time is better than the present to increase their NL West lead to the breaking point, only two of San Francisco’s remaining nine opponents—Cardinals and A’s—before the All-Star break currently have winning records.