Reds' bats even series with cross-state rivals in Cleveland

Reds 10, Indians 5

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Road wins have been hard to come by for the Cincinnati Reds recently. So a victory at their in-state rivals was particularly sweet on Saturday night.

"If we played the University of Cincinnati right now, it would be a good win," said reliever David Weathers, who worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth and pitched the ninth for his eighth save in the Reds' 10-5 win over the Cleveland Indians.

It was the Reds' second win in eight games on their current road trip.

Brandon Phillips hit a three-run homer against his former team and extended his hitting streak to 21 games while David Ross also hit a three-run homer.

"We got two three-run homers," Reds manager Jerry Narron said. "I guess it was American League baseball."

Matt Belisle (4-3) allowed four runs in 5 2-3 innings for his first win since April 28.

Travis Hafner homered for Cleveland, which lost for the fourth time in 19 home games.

Jeremy Sowers (0-4) remained winless in eight starts this season. He allowed seven runs and eight hits in six innings, leaving the lefty with a 7.13 ERA.

Sowers was 7-4 in 14 starts last season after being called up from Triple-A Buffalo in late June. With the emergence of Fausto Carmona and the expected return of Jake Westbrook (strained left abdominal) in late June, Sowers could be headed back to the minors and admitted the lack of progress is frustrating.

"It's not happening as fast as I would like," he said. "I feel like I'm one away from a bad outing or one pitch away from a quality outing."

Indians manager Eric Wedge isn't worried about Sowers.

"Jeremy is going to be fine," he said. "He's going through what every young pitcher goes through when they get to the big leagues."

Phillips, traded from the Indians to the Reds in April 2006 for minor leaguer Jeff Stevens, homered in the third and broke a 1-1 tie.

If Phillips had any extra satisfaction from hitting a home run against the Indians, he didn't show it.

"I'm just playing," he said. "That's it. I just try to go out and win."

Ross' homer came in the sixth and extended the lead to 7-3.

Belisle won despite giving up 10 hits and walking two. He also allowed 10 hits in his last outing, against San Diego on Monday.

"I was battling with my stuff again," he said. "Once we started ripping like that, I felt good."

Down 7-4, the Indians loaded the bases in the eighth. Weathers preserved the Reds' lead, striking out Josh Barfield and retiring Grady Sizemore on a fly ball.

Sizemore has been one of the Indians' hottest hitters, with 11 hits in his last 22 at-bats.

"I felt like if I could throw him a fastball away, he'd probably be a little anxious to drive some runs in," Weathers said. "He probably went after a ball and I got an out."

Hafner's seventh homer put the Indians ahead 1-0 in the first. Phillips opened the second with a double and Jeff Conine tied it with a double.

Phillips sent a drive into the left-field porch in the third for his seventh home run. Victor Martinez's two-run single in the bottom half closed Cleveland to 4-3.

Conine singled to start the sixth and Adam Dunn walked. Sowers retired the next two hitters, but Ross homered into the Indians' bullpen in center.

The Reds added three runs during a sloppy ninth inning that included a throwing error by the second baseman Barfield and a passed ball.

Game notes
Casey Blake's hitting streak ended at 10 games for the Indians. ... RHP Aaron Harang (bereavement leave) has returned to the team from San Diego and will start Sunday's game. INF Jeff Keppinger is expected to be sent to Triple-A Louisville to make room for Harang. ... The Reds raised their road record to 9-14.