After they turned a three-run deficit into a 14-5 laugher of a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds showed the kind of feistiness and edge that all good teams have.

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Top left, Austin Kearns is held back by coach Ray Knight after a brushback pitch by Brian Mallette in the seventh inning; top right, Brewers catcher Paul Bako and umpire Tim Tschida try to keep Adam Dunn from going after Mallette. (Brandi Stafford photos)

        Reggie Taylor had just hit his first career home run to make it 11-5. The next batter was Austin Kearns. Brian Mallette, who was making his big-league debut, nearly hit Kearns on the back of his helmet with his first pitch.

        Kearns went down to avoid the pitch. When he got up, he was angry, and he took a step toward the mound. His good friend, Adam Dunn, the on-deck hitter, was mad, too. He started out toward Mallette.

        The Reds clearly have adopted a we-aren't-going-to-take-it stance on pitchers throwing at the head. Kearns and Sean Casey already have been hit on the helmet.

        “This is the closest team I've even been on,” Dunn said. “I was (ticked).”

Kearns and Barry Larkin celebrate after scoring on a bases loaded double by Dunn in the sixth inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Mallette, who was ejected, said he wasn't trying to throw at Kearns. Neither Dunn nor Kearns bought it.

        “If you're that bad, go home,” Dunn said. “Retire.”

        “You don't miss that bad,” Kearns said. “I think it was (intentional), especially in that situation.”

        The potential melee was quickly defused. But the Reds' willingness to fight for one another was a sign this team has heart. The way they won the game was another sign.

        The Reds trailed 4-1 and 5-2 before putting a whipping on five Brewers pitchers. The 14 runs were a season high. A lot of the damage was done after many in the crowd of 15,693 at Cinergy Field had left.

        The hitting slump, by the way, is over. The Reds scored 30 runs on 38 hits in sweeping the three-game series.

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Dunn connects for a bases-loaded double. (Brandi Stafford photo) 600 | 800 | 1024

        “This is a blast,” Dunn said. “We never feel like we're out of a game. I've been saying since Day 1 this is a special group. We'll get behind, but we never feel like we're out of it. When we come in, everyone in the dugout is up. It wasn't like that last year. It's like night and day.”

        The hitting stars were many Wednesday: Juan Encarnacion, Kearns and Taylor each homered. The big blow: Kearns' three-run shot in the fifth that erased a three-run Brewers lead. Runner-up big blow: Dunn's three-run double in the sixth that blew open the game for the Reds.

        The downside was that, for the second straight night, the Reds lost a player to a hamstring injury. Casey left the game after pulling up running to first in the sixth. He was taken for a precauionary MRI.

        The Reds are beating the teams they are supposed to beat. Wednesday's win made them 8-1 against the National League's last-place teams: Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Colorado. They are 12-12 against the rest of the league.

        The Reds now have a 3 1/2-game lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

Jose Rijo struggled for the second straight start. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        The Reds survived a second straight shaky start by Jose Rijo. Rijo lasted only 3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and left with the Reds down 5-2.

        “He didn't have it tonight,” Reds manager Bob Boone said.

        Said Rijo: “I picked the right night (to be bad). I felt tired, sleepy all day.”

        Rijo has given up 11 runs over 10 innings in his last two starts after giving up three runs in 11 innings in his first two starts.

        Jose Acevedo, freshly recalled from Triple-A Louisville, was brought in for his first big-league relief appearance. He got the win. Acevedo, Scott Williamson, Gabe White and Jim Brower combined for 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

        A 5-2 deficit might have looked like Mount Everest to the Reds a few days ago, but now it's no problem.

Sean Casey scores on a wild pitch by Nick Neugebauer. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Nick Neugebauer walked Encarnacion and Casey to start the fifth. With Kearns coming up, that's a bad idea. Kearns drove that fact home by driving one into the Great American Ball Park construction site for his third home run.

        That tied it 5-5.

        “He's pretty good,” Boone said of Kearns. “He got a hanging breaking pitch and he knows what to do with it.”

        Neugebauer's troubles weren't over. Two more walks, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Corky Miller gave the Reds their first lead of the night at 6-5.

        The Reds broke it open in the sixth. Barry Larkin singled and an out later, Casey reached on an error. The runners moved up on the Brewers' second balk of the game.

Juan Encarnacion celebrates his HR. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        The Brewers intentionally walked Kearns to load the bases and get to Dunn.

        “I looked over at Adam while they were walking me and he winked,” Kearns said.

        “Bases loaded, one out?” Dunn said. “You don't get many opportunities like that. They were doing me a favor.”

        He scorched a line drive into the right-center-field gap for his first double of the year. All three runners scored to make it 9-5 Reds.

        And the hits just kept coming.

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