The Associated Press

Houston Astros outfielder Lance Berkman came out of the All-Star break feeling refreshed and ready to hit.

"It's been an inconsistent year," said Berkman, who's hitting .282 with 19 homers. "Maybe one of these games will help kick it in."

He's hoping his performance today is a sign of things to come.

Berkman, Richard Hidalgo and Morgan Ensberg hit consecutive home runs in the first inning, and the Astros held on to beat the Reds for the ninth straight time, 9-8 today.

Berkman, who had two homers and five RBIs, took early batting practice Thursday in an attempt to start the season's second half well.

"I came out early," Berkman said. "I was just trying to get loose more than anything - get rid of a little rust."

Former Red Ron Villone (2-0) allowed six hits and one run in six innings to improve to 5-0 in 14 career appearances against Cincinnati.

"You can't script it any better than getting five runs in the first," Villone said. "That allows you to be aggressive and let your defense play. If you look at their lineup, you're always impressed with who they can bring out, but they have to look at our lineup and look twice."

Houston has scored at least five runs in one inning in four of their last five games against Cincinnati. The Astros have also scored 20 first-inning runs in their last five against the Reds.

Berkman led off the fifth with his second homer for his first multihomer game of the season and 12th of his career.

The Astros got five walks from two Cincinnati relievers to add two runs in the sixth.