CINCINNATI – Brandon Claussen pitched seven impressive innings in his long-awaited NL debut, and Jason Romano’s first homer sent the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.

Claussen (1-0) gave up Bill Hall’s two-run homer and only five hits overall in his first appearance with the Reds. The left-hander was the Yankees’ top pitching prospect last July when they sent him to Cincinnati as part of the trade for Aaron Boone.

The Reds completed a two-game sweep behind a career day from Romano, a diminutive utility player who entered the series hitting .056.

The outfielder had an RBI single off Doug Davis (9-8) that tied it in the fifth. He put Claussen in line for the victory by hitting a two-run homer off Davis in the seventh, his first homer in 149 at-bats in the majors.

Claussen was the Reds’ prized acquisition last July, when the club dumped general manager Jim Bowden and went on a downsizing spree. The Reds traded one front-line player after another for pitching prospects and cash.

None was more esteemed than the 23-year-old Claussen. In his only start for the Yankees, he delighted owner George Steinbrenner by beating the Mets at Shea Stadium last season.

The deal worked out well for New York. Boone’s 11th-inning homer off Tim Wakefield beat Boston in Game 7 of the AL championship series – another infamous ending for Red Sox fans.

After Boone tore a knee ligament in a pickup basketball game in January, the Yankees released him and brought in Alex Rodriguez as his replacement. Boone moved on to Cleveland, where he is expected to play later this season on a two-year deal.

Claussen had remained in the minors, getting time to fully recover from reconstructive elbow surgery in 2002. He had put together seven solid starts at Triple-A Louisville when he was called up to start Tuesday.

It didn’t go so well at the outset. Wes Helms reached on an infield single to open the second, and Hall hit his sixth homer deep into the seats in left field – a disappointed Claussen didn’t bother to watch the ball once it left the bat.

Hall has 11 homers in the last two seasons, four at Great American Ball Park.

After Hall’s homer, Claussen settled in against a lineup that had never faced him before.

Davis, who made his debut at Great American last season with Toronto, didn’t get much help from his defense.

Juan Castro doubled to right and continued to third when Brady Clark bobbled the ball off the wall. Sean Casey then hit a fly ball that center fielder Scott Podsednik misjudged, letting it go over his head for a double.

Romano’s homer snapped a 2-all tie in the seventh, and the Reds added two in the eighth on D’Angelo Jimenez’s single and Jason LaRue’s sacrifice fly.

Notes: Hall is 13-for-30 career at Great American with four homers and 13 RBIs. … The Brewers are 2-4 on their 11-day, 11-game trip to four NL Central cities. … C Chad Moeller’s infield single in the seventh snapped an 0-for-17 slump. … Jimenez extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

AP-ES-07-20-04 1521EDT