CINCINNATI – Lance Berkman hit a tiebreaking home run in the fifth inning and Jeff Kent capped a five-run seventh with a grand slam as the Houston Astros extended their season-best winning streak to six games with a 9-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.

In sweeping the three-game series against the Reds, the Astros hit 10 home runs and scored 28 runs. Houston has won 14 of its last 17 games.

Roy Oswalt (16-9) improved to 10-0 in 14 career games against Cincinnati. He left after six innings with sore ribs, allowing three runs and six hits, walking three and striking out four.

Paul Wilson (9-5), who came off the disabled list earlier in the day, failed in his eighth attempt to earn his 10th win. He allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.

With two out in the fifth, Berkman hit his fourth homer of the series and 25th of the season to break a 3-all tie.

Houston put the game away with a five-run seventh that included Kent’s 11th career grand slam – and 20th homer of the season.

The Reds fell to a season-worst eight games under .500.

Cincinnati opened the scoring when Ryan Freel singled to center and moved to second as Carlos Beltran bobbled the ball for an error. Juan Castro sacrificed Freel to third, and Sean Casey drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

Houston took a 3-1 lead in the second on sacrifice flies by Eric Bruntlett and Craig Biggio, and an RBI single by Oswalt. The Reds tied it in the third on Freel’s leadoff home run and Darren Bragg’s two-out, broken-bat RBI single to right.

Notes: The Reds activated INF Brandon Larson from the disabled list. Larson had been sidelined since July 19 with a strained left hamstring. … Freel’s homer was his first in a span of 373 at bats since April 18. … Biggio’s sacrifice fly was his first of the season in 577 plate appearances. … The Astros last swept a three-game series in Cincinnati on July 24-26, 2000. They swept a four-game series on July 17-20 of last season.

AP-ES-09-01-04 1545EDT