San Francisco Giants fly to Cincinnati for weekend series

With a solid start on their road trip, the San Francisco Giants get an off day before playing the Cincinnati Reds in a three game weekend series. This is a rematch from the mid-May series when the Giants took two out of three at AT&T Park.

Not much has changed since that series; the Giants are still a .500 team, and the Reds are bottom-feeders in the NL Central. The Reds made a move at the trade deadline, sending former Giant slugger Adam Duvall to the Braves for a couple minor league hands and Preston Tucker.

The Giants are still not out of the race, and their wins against the Dodgers proved handy as they climb a half game closer in the standings. They got back Brandon Belt this week, and look for some good news on Jeff Samardzija and Hunter Strickland. Both players will be necessary as the Giants do have some holes in their pitching staff that need to be addressed.

It’s a no-brainer that the Giants need to continue their winning momentum if they plan to make a run at any playoff spot. The pitching match-ups clearly tilt in the Giants favor, but it will be up to their inconsistent offense to get things going. A band box stadium might help out the cause.

To say this series is crucial is an understatement. If the San Francisco Giants can’t find a way to win this series, we’ll be playing spoiler the rest of the way.

It could also lead to some guys being moved through waivers over the next few weeks.