CINCINNATI — Leadoff hitter Chris Heisey homered three times, getting Cincinnati’s slumping lineup going, and Johnny Cueto allowed only two hits in seven innings Wednesday night, leading the Reds to a 10-2 win and a doubleheader split with the New York Yankees.
In the opener, Jorge Posada ended the second-longest homer drought of his career with a two-run shot, sending the Yankees to a 4-2 win.
Heisey started the second game with his first career leadoff homer. He also had two-run shots off Brian Gordon (0-1) and Hector Noesi in his first multihomer game.
Cueto (5-2) gave up Nick Swisher’s solo homer and Alex Rodriguez’s single. The right-hander pitched out of a bases-loaded threat in the seventh, retiring Posada on a groundout to preserve a 4-1 lead.
The Reds pulled away by batting around for three runs in the bottom of the inning, and Heisey homered for the third time in the eighth. Teammates made him take a curtain call, and fans chanted his name when he went back out to left field.
He became the third Reds player to homer three times in the leadoff spot, joining Pete Rose and Jay Bruce.
Cueto has given up only four runs in four June starts. He was scratched from a start Monday in the series opener because of a sore neck. He stretched it sideways as he walked off the field after fanning Rodriguez in the first inning, an indication it was still bothering him a bit.
Couldn’t tell by his pitching. He retired 12 straight batters over one stretch, putting the Reds in line for only their second victory in nine interleague games.
Gordon had problems in one of the majors’ most homer-friendly ballparks.
The 32-year-old journeyman left the Phillies’ farm system last week to sign with the Yankees, who need help for their depleted rotation. He impressed in his first start, giving up two runs in 5 1-3 innings of a win over Texas.
The second time wasn’t so good.
Gordon showed Heisey his two best pitches leading off the first inning, throwing a 69 mph curve followed by a 90 mph fastball. Heisey then connected on a sloppy, full-count fastball. Gordon gave up five hits — three of them homers — and four runs in five innings.
The Yankees won the first game without Rodriguez or first baseman Mark Teixeira in the starting lineup. Posada played first base and made the difference.
Posada’s tiebreaking homer off Mike Leake (6-4) ended his stretch of 126 at-bats without one. His last homer was April 23.
Freddy Garcia (6-6) gave up two unearned runs in seven innings. Yankees third baseman Ramiro Pena committed three errors, including two in the fifth inning that gave the Reds two unearned runs.
Garcia allowed three hits in seven innings while improving to 22-10 in 39 career interleague starts. The right-hander is 4-0 in four career starts against the Reds, all of them in Cincinnati and all of them for a different team. He played for the Mariners, the White Sox and the Phillies in the first three.
Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 22 tries. He has a record 66 career saves in interleague games, including 22 straight since 2006.