Cincinnati ? All of those homers flying out of the ballpark put Aaron Harang’s performance in perspective.

This was something to appreciate.

Harang shut down the Kansas City Royals’ surging offense for seven innings Wednesday night, and Ken Griffey Jr. hit the last of Cincinnati’s four homers, leading the Reds to a 7-2 victory that underscored the importance of keeping the ball down.

“If Harang wasn’t pitching so well, in this ballpark we would have a chance to come back,” Royals manager Buddy Bell said. “Harang was just too much for us.”

Not so for his counterpart.

The Reds hit three homers off Scott Elarton (3-9) during a five-run third inning that set the tone and helped Cincinnati snap a four-game losing streak at home. The Reds are 18-20 at Great American Ball Park, where home runs often decide matters.

“I haven’t done great at home,” said Harang, who is 3-3 in Cincinnati. “For us to win tonight was big. Hopefully we can get things started at home.”

Griffey led off the seventh inning against Andrew Sisco with his 551st homer, his third straight game with a home run. Griffey remains in 11th place on the career list, a dozen behind Reggie Jackson.

Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. connects on a solo home run off Kansas City Royals pitcher Andrew Sisco in the seventh inning. The Reds pounded K.C., 7-2, Wednesday in Cincinnati.

It was Griffey’s 153rd homer since he rejoined his hometown team in 2000, moving him ahead of Pete Rose and Joe Morgan into sole possession of 12th place on the franchise list.

A few hours before the game, the Reds extended the contracts of general manager Wayne Krivsky and manager Jerry Narron through 2008. Cincinnati has stayed in contention despite a bullpen that has the NL’s highest ERA and a defense that has the second-most errors.

A potent offense and a surprisingly stout rotation have pulled them through. They did again in front of a crowd of 34,648 that showed up for Barry Larkin bobbleheads.

Harang (9-5) matched Bronson Arroyo for the staff lead in victories by dominating for the second straight start. The right-hander was coming off his seven-hit shutout, a 3-0 victory in Cleveland on Friday night.