SAN FRANCISCO -- A lot of people figured the team of destiny was going to win this series between the Giants and the Cardinals.

They just picked the wrong one. That's all.

"I predicted last week this team is going to go all the way," said Benito Santiago, the reincarnated starting catcher for a Giants team that finds itself with a two-games-to-none lead in the NLCS and three straight home games coming up this weekend. "This team's just got a rhythm going, man. You can see it in the way we play."

	Rich Aurilia is batting .286 with four home runs and 11 RBI in seven games this postseason.

They've got rhythm, all right. And the Cardinals have got the blues.

The Cardinals also have their hands full trying to figure out a way to stop a team that is 13-2 since Sept. 19, 34-12 since Aug. 18 and 5-2 in this postseason, despite a brutal travel schedule.

These Giants just finished winning three straight postseason road games for the first time in franchise history. (Well, technically, they won three straight "away" games against the Yankees in the 1921 World Series, too, but the whole series was played in the Polo Grounds.) They also just opened a postseason series with two road wins for the first time in franchise history.

And for their best trick of all, they just became the first team ever to win three straight postseason games in three different cities in 96 hours (while flying all night after two of them).

Since Aug. 15, this is their seventh series against playoff teams or contenders (i.e., the Dodgers and Astros). And you'd better note that the Giants haven't lost one of those series yet.

"I think after we won those last two games to beat Atlanta, this team got a lot of confidence," Santiago said, "because those (Braves) pitchers are the best starters and the best relievers in the league. We were second. So now that they're gone, we're No. 1."

Well, whatever they're ranked, their bullpen is sure about as good as it gets right now. Over these last four games, Giants relievers have pitched 9 2/3 innings. The only run they allowed was a pinch-hit homer Wednesday by J.D. Drew off Tim Worrell -- in a game they led by four runs with four outs to go.

Now that Felix Rodriguez is back to being his old 97-mph inferno-throwing self, the three-headed combo of Rodriguez, Worrell and Robb Nen have allowed the Giants to shrink the game to six innings -- or sometimes shorter. Meanwhile, offensively, this team suddenly has become as well-rounded as it's been all year.

Kenny Lofton (.400 on-base percentage in this series) and Rich Aurilia (.429 average, two HR, four RBIs) have gotten on base in front of Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds. Santiago (four RBIs) and J.T. Snow (.444 on-base percentage) have been smoking behind them.

When that happens, this team starts looking as if it was a true sleeping giant for five months. And now -- uh-oh -- their alarm has gone off.

"We knew coming into this postseason that the focus would be on Barry and Jeff," Aurilia said. "So we knew that meant if we could do our job, the better chance we'd have. So far, we've done that. And we came in and won two games in a row in one of the toughest places to play in the league."

Of course, that and two bucks will get them across the Bay Bridge. But while the Giants might not have this series clinched yet, they have their hands firmly on the steering wheel.

Their starting pitchers in the next two games -- Russ Ortiz and Livan Hernandez -- are 3-0, 2.38 in this postseason. And those two have now started eight postseason games in their careers -- and lost zero.

"I know I said we're going all the way, but I'm not saying nothing about how good this (series) looks," Santiago said. "Sometimes baseball is weird, man. We won two at their place, and they could go and win two at our place."

"I don't even want to think about that," said pitching coach Dave Righetti. "I was with the Yankees in (the) '81 (World Series) when we won the first two and the Dodgers turned around and beat us. So I can't say anything. But we're in a better spot than them. It's safe to say that."

That's safe to say, all right. It's also safe to say this is not a team anyone wants to mess with right now -- including the Giants themselves.

Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.