Adam Dunn is congratulated by teammate Juan Encarnacion after hitting a home run in the 3rd inning. (Greg Ruffing photo) | ZOOM |

        Cincinnati hasn't had rain for weeks, but there was enough thunder in the Reds' bats Friday night to snap a significant Cinergy Field drought.

        The Reds used two home runs and the most impressive non-homer in the stadium's 32-year history to ante up enough offense to down Milwaukee 8-6. The Reds had lost three consecutive games on this homestand and 10 of their previous 11 here, entering with a 20-22 season record at home.

        The victory moved the Reds within 2 1/2 games of National League Central leader St. Louis, pending the result of the Cardinals' game with Los Angeles.

        On a 90-degree evening when the ball was jumping off the bats, the Reds and Brewers combined for five home runs, and countless other popups floated deep into the outfield.

        The biggest blasts were reserved for Cincinnati's power plant, Adam Dunn. The Reds' lone All-Star clubbed his team-leading 17th home run of the season, a 397-foot tracer to right-center in the third inning. Then he gave the Reds the lead for good at 7-5 when he hit a two-run, fifth-inning double off the center-field wall.

        Not just off the wall. Off the 40-foot Black Monster at the stadium's deepest point (393 feet) . . . about 39 feet up the wall.

        Only two players, Houston's Lance Berkman and St. Louis' Albert Pujols, have cleared the Black Monster in the 1 1/2 seasons of Cinergy's current configuration. Dunn's was just the 20th ball even to reach the black wall.

        The Brewers, 1-8 against Cincinnati this season, wisely elected to walk Dunn in the eighth inning. Then Sean Casey, who was 0-for-3 and had been hitless in his last 18 at-bats, broke through with a significant single.

        Dunn had stolen second and moved to third on a Juan Encarnacion groundout. Casey slapped the ball up the middle, and second baseman Eric Young snared it, but his throw bounced in the dirt as Casey hit the bag. The infield single scored a key insurance run, and Casey threw up his hands to express his relief about ending his skid.

        Casey had an 0-for-19 drought in September. His career worst is 0-for-25 in May 1998.

        The Reds' bullpen was steady enough to slow the Brewers' early charge. Gabe White (4-1) got the win, bailing the team out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fifth before his teammates rallied for the lead in the bottom half.

        White, John Riedling, Scott Sullivan and Danny Graves allowed just one run in 4 2/3 innings of relief. Graves recorded his 26th save, but it wasn't without suspense.

        He walked Eric Young to start the ninth inning, and Jeffrey Hammonds had an infield single. The first pitch to Richie Sexson was wild, and as catcher Jason LaRue tried to locate it, Young attempted to score from second. LaRue's throw to a covering Graves nailed Young at the plate.

Danny Graves tags out the Brewers' Kevin Young as Young tried to score from second base on a wild pitch in the ninth inning. (Greg Ruffing photo) | ZOOM |

        Now with one out and Hammonds at third, Graves rallied from a 3-1 count to strike out Sexson looking. He struck out Tyler Houston swinging.

        Elmer Dessens, whose start had been pushed back a day because of a stiff shoulder, had his toughest outing of the season: five earned runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He had been 5-1 with a 2.56 ERA over his 14 previous outings, but the Brewers drew a bead on him early.

        Matt Stairs clubbed a second-inning home run, and Hammonds hammered a two-run homer an inning later that gave Milwaukee a short-lived 3-2 lead.

        The Reds answered with solo homers by Barry Larkin and Dunn for a 4-3 lead.

        Then the Brewers knocked out Dessens with four consecutive hits in the fifth. The third of those, a Hammonds double down the left-field line, drove in two runs for a 5-4 Brewers lead. Hammonds had four RBI against his former team.

        Larkin's first-inning double was the 390th of his career, moving him into sole possession of second place on the club's all-time list. Dave Concepcion had 389; Pete Rose is first at 601.

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