CLEVELAND (AP) — Laynce Nix had three hits, including a tiebreaking double in the sixth inning, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-4 win over the slumping Cleveland Indians on Friday night.
The Reds bounced back from a stunning defeat in Atlanta on Thursday when they failed to hold seven-run lead in the ninth inning and closer Francisco Cordero gave up a game-ending, pinch-hit grand slam to Brooks Conrad in a 10-9 loss. The homer deflected off Nix's glove as he reached over the top of the wall.
Shin-Soo Choo, moved from third to second in the batting order, homered twice, had three hits and three RBIs for the Indians, who have lost five straight and fell to a season-worst 10 games below .500.
Jonny Gomes and Brandon Phillips also homered for the Reds.
Bronson Arroyo (4-2) allowed four runs in 6 2-3 innings and won his third straight start. Cordero pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 17 chances.
Nix hit a leadoff homer in the third, doubled and scored in the fourth off starter Jake Westbrook, and doubled in the go-ahead run in the sixth off Aaron Laffey (0-1).
Gomes hit a two-run homer in the fourth that broke a 1-1 tie. Ryan Hanigan's double gave the Reds a 4-1 lead, but Arroyo couldn't hold it. Trevor Crowe drove in a run with a double before Choo, who hit a solo homer in the first, homered on the first pitch to tie the game.
Gomes walked to lead off the sixth and scored on Nix's double into the right-field corner. Orlando Cabrera added an RBI single later in the inning for the Reds, who are 17-7 since April 25.
Phillips hit a solo homer in the ninth off Kerry Wood.
The Indians have scored 16 runs during their losing streak. Cleveland manager Manny Acta made some lineup changes to help his sputtering offense, which is playing without leadoff hitter Asdrubal Cabrera, who has a broken left forearm, and No. 2 hitter Grady Sizemore, on the disabled list with a bruised left knee. Travis Hafner was moved from cleanup to third while Austin Kearns, normally the No. 5 hitter, batted fourth.
Cincinnati also suffered a walk-off defeat Wednesday, losing 5-4 to the Braves by allowing a run in the ninth.
NOTES: The Ohio Cup series is tied 32-32, but the Reds are 10-3 against Cleveland since 2008. ... Gomes is hitting .343 (12-for-35) with four homers and eight RBIs as the DH in interleague games. ... Indians 1B Russell Branyan snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a second-inning single. He singled again in the sixth, but is still in a 3-for-26 skid.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.