Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Nelson Cruz hit a game-tying grand slam in 
the  eighth inning  Wednesday night and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago 
White Sox 5-4 on a wild pitch hours later in the 12th. 

The  Orioles were being shut out in the three-game series finale before Cruz's 
two-out blast, which came on Chicago's fourth pitcher of the inning. 

The  game was delayed for more than an hour between the ninth and 10th innings 
because of rain. 

In  the 12th,  Nick Hundley drew a  leadoff walk against Daniel Webb (4-2) and 
pinch-runner David Lough went to third base on Nick Markakis' single. 

Lough  stumbled  and fell making  the turn and had  to scramble back to third, 
then  scored moments later when Webb uncorked a low pitch to Steve Pearce that 
kicked past catcher Tyler Flowers. 

The  Orioles bounced back from Tuesday's 4-2 loss to win for the sixth time in 
their last eight games. 

Jose Abreu homered for the White Sox, who have lost 10 of their last 13. 

White  Sox  starter Hector  Noesi gave  up consecutive  singles to Hundley and 
Markakis  to  start the bottom  of the eighth inning  and was relieved by Zach 
Putnam, who then retired Pearce and Adam Jones on fly balls. 

"(Noesi)  threw a  great game," praised White Sox manager Robin Ventura. "This 
was really the best he's thrown since he's been here." 

Scott  Downs came in  and walked Chris Davis at the end of a nine-pitch at-bat 
to load the bases, bringing on Javy Guerra. 

Cruz slapped a 2-1 fastball the other way and off the top of the wall in right 
field  for  his 24th homer  of the season. Moises  Sierra, who was a defensive 
replacement in right for Dayan Viciedo, jumped at the wall but his glove was a 
good foot away from where the ball struck. 

Noesi,  who had  been cruising before the  eighth, was charged with two of the 
runs.  He gave up nine hits, no walks and struck out two and was six outs from 
snapping a two-start losing streak. 

"He  was in  the bottom  of the  zone all  night," said  Orioles manager  Buck 
Showalter.  "He didn't  throw more than two  or three balls above the belt all 
outing. He was good." 

Orioles  right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez is still seeking his first home win as an 
Oriole after allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. 

Both teams stranded runners in 10th inning. The White Sox had runners at first 
and  second  in the  top of  the 12th  when Tommy  Hunter (2-1) replaced Brian 
Matusz and struck out pinch-hitter Paul Konerko to end the threat. 

Abreu  hit his  23rd homer  of the  season on  the first  pitch of  the fourth 
inning, driving it over the wall in left field to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. 

Alejandro  De Aza drew  a leadoff walk in the fifth and scored on Adam Eaton's 
triple  to  the warning  track in right-center  to make it  2-0, but Eaton was 
thrown out at home plate on Gordon Beckham's grounder to third. 

Chicago pushed its lead to 4-0 in the seventh, chasing Jimenez from the game. 

After  Viciedo  walked leading off and  De Aza doubled, both runners scored on 
Flowers'  hit  to the left-field wall.  Flowers was originally ruled safe on a 
slide  at  second base  but the  call was overturned  on an Orioles challenge. 
Jimenez was replaced by Brad Brach after giving up a single to Eaton. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Orioles are 4-12 in Jimenez's last 16 starts. That now includes a 1-7 mark 
at  home ...  Jimenez had six strikeouts ...  De Aza reached up at the wall in 
left  field to  steal a potential home  run from Cruz in the second inning ... 
Cruz  tied Toronto's  Edwin Encarnacion  for the  MLB lead  in homers  ... The 
Orioles  will  continue an 11- game  homestand with a four-game series against 
Tampa  Bay beginning Friday ... The White Sox finish an 11-game road trip with 
a four-game series in Toronto starting Thursday.