Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Jonny Gomes hit a pair of three-run homers en route to driving in a career-high six runs, as the Cincinnati Reds dominated the Kansas City Royals, 11-5, in the second test of a three-game interleague set at Great American Ball Park.
Brandon Phillips went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and three runs scored for the Reds, who bounced back from a 6-5, 11-inning defeat in the series opener on Friday. Phillips extended his hitting streak to 15 games in the process.
"To get a win like this and do some individual things like that, it puts a smile on your face and makes it all worth it," Gomes said.
Johnny Cueto (6-1) got the win despite giving up five runs on five hits. He also fanned six batters and walked four in his first victory since May 27 against the Pirates.
David DeJesus hit a three-run double for the Royals, who fell to 2-3 on a six- game road trip.
Brian Bannister (6-4), who was riding a five-start winning streak, had his worst outing of the year, allowing 11 runs -- nine earned -- on 10 hits in three-plus innings. He lost for the first time since May 11 versus the Indians. However, Bannister scored a run and knocked in a run.
"It just wasn't Banny's day today," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "When he's good, he's working the corners, his fastball's cutting, his changeup's sinking and he just left a couple out over the plate."
The Reds got the scoring started with a four-run first inning. Phillips hit a one-out, solo homer into the seats in left. Joey Votto walked and Scott Rolen singled before Gomes blasted a 1-1 cutter into the upper deck in left field.
Kansas City responded with five runs in the second to take the lead. Jose Guillen singled and Mike Aviles doubled to put men on second and third with one out. Yuniesky Betancourt then grounded out to plate a run. Bannister helped his own cause with a run-scoring double to center. Walks to Scott Podsednik and Jason Kendall loaded the bases for DeJesus, who laced a three- run double over the head of left fielder Gomes for a 5-4 edge.
In the third, Gomes came to the plate with runners on the corners and one out. He smacked a 3-0 cutter over the wall in left for his second three-run blast of the contest. Jay Bruce followed with a triple off the wall in right-center and crossed the plate on Ramon Hernandez's base hit for an 8-5 Cincinnati lead.
The Reds added three more runs in the fourth. Orlando Cabrera reached first on Betancourt's throwing error and Phillips singled. Votto and Rolen followed with consecutive RBI singles. Drew Stubbs hit a sacrifice fly later in the frame to make it an 11-5 game.
Each team stranded the bases loaded in the seventh.
Cincinnati is now 8-8 all-time versus Kansas City and 86-106 overall in interleague play. The Royals swept the Reds in three games at home from June 12-14 of last season, yet Kansas City still sports a 109-125 ledger against the National League overall...Gomes homered twice in one game for the sixth time in his career...Reds reliever Arthur Rhodes, who worked a scoreless seventh, has a career-high 26-inning scoreless streak. The longest by a Red reliever since John Franco in 1988...Royals first baseman Billy Butler went 3- for-5.