Indians top Reds to end 5-game skid

Masterson gets 8th win of season

The Indians' Jason Giambi watches his three-run home run off the Reds' Bronson Arroyo in the sixth inning. It stretched Cleveland's lead to 5-1 as the Indians ended their five-game losing streak.

CLEVELAND — Justin Masterson pitched six solid innings, Jason Giambi and Mark Reynolds homered, and the Cleveland Indians broke a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Masterson (8-3) worked out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the sixth to preserve a 2-1 lead. Cincinnati's only run off the right-hander came on Joey Votto's two-out homer in the first.

Giambi's three-run homer in the sixth off Bronson Arroyo (5-5) pushed the margin to four runs for Cleveland, which scored only 14 runs during the skid.

Reynolds' homer to lead off the third tied the game before Nick Swisher's RBI double gave the Indians a 2-1 lead in the fourth.

The Reds took the first two games of the intrastate series with wins Monday and Tuesday in Cincinnati, but the Indians bounced back after losing seven of their previous eight. Cleveland's losing streak matched its longest of the season.

Masterson, who has won four of his last five decisions, allowed four hits and struck out seven. Cincinnati loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth, but Masterson worked out of the jam, getting Xavier Paul on a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play and retiring Devin Mesoraco on a fly ball.

Masterson also retired Votto on a groundout with two on to end the fifth.

Arroyo retired the first two hitters in the sixth before Asdrubal Cabrera and Swisher singled. Giambi hit a 2-1 pitch to right for his fourth career homer in 21 at-bats off Arroyo, who gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings. Giambi, who hit a pinch-hit homer against the Reds on Monday, also doubled and is batting .381 (8-for-21) with eight RBIs lifetime against the Cincinnati right-hander.

Chad Allen pitched a scoreless seventh, and Joe Smith blanked Cincinnati in the eighth. Vinnie Pestano, who has taken over the closer's role for the injured Chris Perez, inherited a four-run lead in the ninth. He was greeted by Paul's leadoff homer, but retired the next three hitters. Perez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Arroyo has lost four straight against Cleveland, allowing 22 earned runs in 19 1/3 innings.

The teams exchanged solo homers early in the game. Votto, who is batting .417 (40-for-96) in May, hit a line drive to dead center in the first while Reynolds homered into the left-field bleachers in the third.

Cabrera doubled with one out in the fourth and scored when Swisher's hit found the gap in left-center, but the inning ended in sloppy fashion. The Indians made two costly baserunning mistakes they hit three straight doubles but scored only one run.

Following Swisher's double, Giambi hit a drive to center that Shin-Soo Choo played off the wall. Swisher, perhaps thinking he would tag up if Choo made the catch, was near second base when the ball landed. When he finally came around third, he was waved home by coach Brad Mills, but was out on second baseman Brandon Phillips' strong relay throw.

The inning ended when Giambi was thrown out trying to steal third as Carlos Santana walked.

Choo, who played with the Indians from 2006-12, made his first appearance in Cleveland since being traded to the Reds in December. He was 1-for-4 with a walk.

NOTES: Cincinnati has lost eight in a row at Progressive Field. ... Reds RHP Homer Bailey (3-3) faces Indians LHP Scott Kazmir (2-2) in the finale of the two-game series today at 7:05 p.m. ... Indians C Lou Marson (right shoulder) began a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron on Wednesday. He has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 25. Manager Terry Francona said there's no timetable for Marson's return but said, "It's probably weeks as opposed to days. He's been out for a long time now." ... Cincinnati bench coach Chris Speier is temporarily coaching third base while Mark Berry receives treatment for throat cancer. ... Indians RHP Brett Myers (sore elbow) could resume his minor league rehab assignment next week.