By Morris Phillips

In normal times, a 10-game win streak doesn’t carry that much more cache than a 9-game win streak.

But these aren’t normal times.  The Giants’ hot streak that continued in their 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks Thursday afternoon has them not only poised to make a third post-season appearance in five years, but achieve that distinction at the expense of the hated Dodgers.

While both teams appear headed to the playoffs, the battle for the coveted NL West title hits the critical stage Friday night in the opener of a three-game series between the two rivals at AT&T Park.

If the Giants win behind 17-game winner Madison Bumgarner, they put the pressure on the Dodgers–who have held first place for more than two months—by reducing their lead to just one game.

If the Dodgers win, the lead goes back to three games with 15 games remaining.  And the specter of having certain Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw on the mound Sunday means Los Angeles could sweep the series and end all the suspense this weekend.

The Giants and Jake Peavy are well aware of what’s at stake.  Peavy proved that by throwing 5 2/3 innings on Thursday in the win over the Diamondbacks, gaining a win in his third consecutive start.  Peavy’s well aware of how intense things can get in the NL West in September.  He helped lead the Padres in that memorable race between the Giants and San Diego in 2010 that went to the Giants on their way to their first World Series title.

Now Peavy’s in San Francisco’s clubhouse and he and new Giants’ teammates know what momentum means during this time of the year.

“There’s nobody in this clubhouse who believes we can’t get it done,” Peavy said.  “There’s a championship pedigree around here.”

On Thursday, the Giants were doing things that had to remind some of their runs in 2010 and 2012.  For example, Hunter Pence pulled out his magic bat and singled in the first run of the game by—get this—throwing his bat at a pitch and delivering an RBI-single through the infield to give the Giants a first-inning lead.

“You don’t see that every time,” Juan Perez said of Pence’s feat.

The play was reminiscent of Pence’s three-touch RBI single in the 2012 World Series where his bat actually struck a ball three times, creating a crazy spin that caused the ball to veer away from Tigers’ infielders and into centerfield for a critical RBI hit.

Series hero’s Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey got involved Thursday as well.  Sandoval’s single in the second put the Giants up 2-0.  Posey had three hits, but his single in the Giants’ three-run sixth, put them up 5-1.

Also reminiscent of post-season was the length of the nine-inning game—3 hours 28 minutes—as Peavy was followed by five relievers who allowed just three hits and kept the Diamondbacks at bay.  Arizona starter Randall Delgado lasted just four inning, allowing seven hits and three runs.  Four Diamondbacks’ relievers followed, but they didn’t fare as well as the Giants’ bullpen as reliever Matt Stites allowed three hits and three runs in the Giants’ sixth.

The Giants swept the D’Backs at home for the first time since 2011.  Arizona lost its’ six-straight game and fell into a last-place tie with Colorado, 24 games behind the Dodgers.

On Friday night, Bumgarner will be opposed by the Dodgers’ 14-game winner Hyun-Jin Ryu.  Giants’ outfielder Michael Morse is not expected to return from injury for the three-game set as manager Bruce Bochy stated that he thinks Morse is still three-to-five days away from fully recovering from an oblique strain.