HOUSTON -- Corey Hart is the Brewers' new leadoff man, but he looked like the same old five-hole hitter Wednesday night.

"He's good anywhere you put him," Brewers manager Ned Yost said.

Hart belted two of the Brewers' five home runs and drove in four as Milwaukee held off a mid-innings Astros rally for a 10-6 win at Minute Maid Park, evening a three-game series that concludes Thursday afternoon.

Russell Branyan, Mike Cameron and Jason Kendall also went deep for the Brewers as the teams hit eight home runs in the game and ran their combined homer total to 32 in eight matchups this season. Brewers starter Manny Parra (5-2) served up three solo home runs among his career-high 10 hits, but he notched the win despite allowing five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.

"It was great, just because the offense was able to do what they did," said Parra, who has won five straight decisions. "When they hit the ball well like that, you should be able to get the job done."

The Brewers scored eight of their 10 runs via the long ball in a game more representative of last season, when they led the Major Leagues and set a franchise record with 231 home runs.

They entered play Wednesday ranked ninth in the Majors with 71 homers.

"Overall, we've managed to win games other ways than we did last year," Hart said. "But it's fun winning games like this."

Said Cameron: "You win 'em how you can. It was a good slugging day for the Brewers."

Hart, who went 3-for-5, has been the Brewers' most slump-proof player this season, batting at least .293 in all three months, including .316 so far in June. He was not the only contributor on Wednesday. Each of Milwaukee's eight position starters had at least one hit, and six players drove in at least one run.

"He does things that keep his average up," Yost said of Hart. "He can bunt for a base hit. He stays inside the ball well, so he can hit balls under the coverage when he's not really swinging well. And when he's swinging well, man, he knocks fences down."

Ryan Braun put the Brewers on the board with an RBI double in the first inning, but the Astros tied the game in the second, when Brad Ausmus blooped a two-out, RBI single over second baseman Craig Counsell. Houston took a 3-1 lead when Miguel Tejada and Ty Wigginton hit solo home runs off Parra in the third inning.

"He made a mistake to Tejada with an 0-2 curveball," Yost said. "His mind-set was right -- he was trying to bounce it -- but his execution was not good. He hung a curveball right down the stinking middle of the plate, and Tejada did what you're supposed to do with a curveball right down the middle of the plate. Besides that, I thought [Parra] did fine.

"He battles. Manny's got so much room for growth, so much ceiling to his game. The thing that he does do is compete on that mound with very, very good stuff."

The Brewers answered against Astros starter Brandon Backe (4-8) in the fourth. Branyan and Cameron led off the frame with solo homers for a 3-3 tie, with Cameron's hitting the left-field foul pole. Hart followed later in the inning with the first of his two-run homers for a 5-3 lead.

Including three on Wednesday, Backe has allowed 18 home runs in 14 starts this season. He has given up seven in his three starts against the Brewers.

"What can you do about it?" Backe said. "You got to go after the guys, and it's not like they're hitting just balls down the middle. They're hitting balls that are down and out, up and away, up and in. There's nothing you can do about it but tip your hat to the other team.

"But it's quite devastating when you're a competitor and you're getting beat this bad when you don't feel like you're doing that bad. I have no idea why the balls are leaving so much."

Houston made it a one-run game and knocked Parra out of the game in the sixth inning. Parra exited with a 7-5 lead, and the Astros greeted Brewers relievers Carlos Villanueva with a pair of doubles to make it 7-6. After that, Villanueva and Guillermo Mota combined to allow one hit and no runs over the final 3 2/3 innings.

"My thought process and my mental approach was on target, I just didn't make some pitches," Parra said. "There were other times earlier in the year where I would be thinking the wrong thing and was mentally off, which is more unacceptable to me."

The game got testy in the seventh inning, when Astros catcher Brad Ausmus was ejected by first-base umpire Angel Campos during a Cameron plate appearance that ended in a walk. Houston manager Cecil Cooper argued that decision, and was back on the field minutes later after Cameron was called safe for the second time on a pickoff attempt.

Cooper was ejected, too. The 33,806 fans in the stands made clear their displeasure with Campos over the next full inning.

"In situations like that, you just sit back and listen," said Cameron, who insisted he was safe both times. "I heard a whole lot tonight."