Reds on roll heading into St. Louis

Usually, the victors get the spoils.

That's not the case with the Cincinnati Reds. After opening the season with a 4-2 homestand against the

highly regarded Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Washington Nationals, the Reds' reward is to embark on a

six-game road trip that starts with a three-game series in St. Louis Monday against the perennially

contending Cardinals.

St. Louis has not been kind to the Reds over the past decade. Cincinnati has won just three series and

split two of the 27 played in the city known as the Gateway to the West starting in 2003. After their 6-3

win over Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals on Sunday, the Reds tried to make the best of the situation.

"It's just another series coming up," said third baseman Todd Frazier, who drove in a team-high nine

runs during the first week, including at least one in five consecutive games. "We've got to win a series.

You've just got to keep working."

Jay Bruce, whose first-inning, two-run double was Cincinnati's only extra-base hit off of Strasburg,

sounded as if he was looking forward to the trip.

"St. Louis is always a good place to play," he said. "The fans come out every day. It's always packed.

There's always a good feel there."

Manager Dusty Baker still was trying to savor what his team had just accomplished.

"You have to go with what the schedule says," he said. "We'll take them one game at a time. Let's enjoy

this one, go there, have a nice dinner and get some sleep."