No stranger to drama, A.J. Pierzynski found himself at the center of it again. This time, he didn’t mind.

Pierzynski led off the 10th inning with his second homer of the game and the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 6-5 Wednesday night for their seventh straight win.

“Ozzie was yelling at me to not try to be a hero and hit a single,” Pierzynski said. “When I hit it, I was like, its got a chance. But I didn’t know it was going to make it.”

It did, giving the White Sox a three-game sweep and their second 10-inning win in as many nights.

Pierzynski always seems to find himself at the center of the action for the White Sox, from reaching base on a controversial dropped third strike against the Los Angeles Angels in the 2005 playoffs to fighting with former Cubs catcher Michael Barrett in 2006.

This type of attention he’ll take.

Masa Kobayashi (4-4) pitched a perfect ninth before Pierzynski drove the first pitch of the 10th out to left-center for his seventh homer. Teammates mobbed Pierzynski as he crossed the plate.

Adam Russell (2-0) worked the 10th for his second win in as many nights and the second of his career.

C.C. Sabathia allowed five runs and seven hits in eight innings for Cleveland. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner struck out five and walked two.

The last-place Indians have lost five straight and are 12 1/2 games back of the White Sox in the AL Central. They could look to deal Sabathia if they continue to lag behind in the division, with the big left-hander eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

“I’m just worrying about day to day pitching,” Sabathia said. “I get the ball and that’s it.”

Grady Sizemore hit two solo homers for Cleveland, tying it at 5 with a drive off Scott Linebrink in the ninth.

“I made a bad pitch tonight and he got it,” Linebrink said. “You can’t make mistakes to him. You certainly don’t want to put him on the bases to lead off an inning in a close ballgame like that because you put him on the bases, the next thing you know he’s on second in scoring position. You want to be aggressive and go after him. It was a changeup up in the zone and he hit it. I’ve got to make a better pitch right there.”

Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye went deep in the first inning and Nick Swisher singled in a run in the second to give Chicago a 3-2 lead.

Sizemore walked and scored on Jamey Carroll’s triple in the fifth and connected in the sixth to put the Indians ahead, but Sabathia ran into trouble in the seventh.

Pablo Ozuna led off the inning with a grounder to third baseman Casey Blake, whose wild throw allowed Ozuna to reach second. Alexei Ramirez lined a one-out infield single off Blake’s glove and Brian Anderson followed with a two-run double to left-center.

Nick Masset was in line for his first win after pitching a scoreless seventh, but with closer Bobby Jenks getting the night off because of soreness in his left side, the White Sox turned to Linebrink in the ninth. He blew his second save in as many chances when Sizemore connected.

“I thought we did a good job of taking the momentum back our way,” Sizemore said. “Obviously it was still a tie game but I thought we had the momentum. I was confident we were going to win.”

Alexei Ramirez’s soaring fly ball was either going to land in the glove of Cleveland left fielder Ben Francisco to end the game or clear the fence and tie it up with two outs in the 10th.

The way things have been going for the Chicago White Sox lately, it was the latter.

Ramirez’s high fly was a game-tying homer off Indians closer Joe Borowski. And the White Sox pulled out a 3-2 victory moments later when pinch-hitter DeWayne Wise singled, stole second and scored the game-winner on Orlando Cabrera’s RBI single.

“Everybody did their part,” Cabrera said.

“A very good moment,” Ramirez said through a translator. “I knew I hit it hard, but I hit it so high I really wasn’t sure, so I just kept running. Until he jumped and it had landed, I didn’t really know, wasn’t sure.”

Francisco initially thought he had a play.

“I went to the wall and I thought the ball was going to come right down to me,” Francisco said. “And it blew over the fence.”

Adam Russell (1-0) got his first major league win with one-third of an inning, striking out Franklin Gutierrez with two on in the top of the 10th.

Casey Blake had given Cleveland a 2-1 lead with a long homer to left off Matt Thornton in the top of the 10th, but the Indians faltered again in their disappointing season and fell 11 1/2 games behind the first-place White Sox.

“It hurts. Maybe kind of doing it in that fashion stings a little more. But they’re having a pretty special year,” Blake said. “It kind of reminds me of how we were playing last year. It seems like we found a way to win all the time.”

Borowski (1-3) blew his fourth save in 10 chances.

“In the position we’re in trying to play catchup, you can’t afford to let these games get away. … We had an opportunity and I let it slip away,” Borowski said.

Left-handers Cliff Lee of the Indians and John Danks of the White Sox dueled for eight innings and neither got the decision after a strong effort, leaving with the game tied 1-1.

Lee, who entered with an 11-1 record, gave up six hits and a run with one walk and three strikeouts. Danks allowed four hits and a run with a walk and eight strikeouts.

Kelly Shoppach led off the sixth with his sixth homer, ending Danks’ scoreless innings streak at 16 and tying the game 1-1. Danks tied his career high in both innings pitched and strikeouts.

Danks was watching from the clubhouse with reliever Scott Linebrink when Ramirez’s homer went over.

“To see that ball finally get out, it looked like he was going to have a chance to rob it,” Danks said. “It was very dramatic. When it got out, Scott and I jumped up and high fived each other.”

Chicago got to Lee for a run in the second when Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded following singles by Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome and a walk to Nick Swisher.

The White Sox threatened in the sixth when A.J. Pierzynski and Carlos Quentin singled to start the inning but Dye hit into a double play and the rally fizzled.

“It’s definitely frustrating to lose like that,” Lee said. “It’s a game that we had and we kind of let it get away from us at the end. But we still have a long season to go.”

Mark DeRosa and Ted Lilly got the Chicago Cubs back on track—DeRosa with two fine swings and Lilly with another impressive outing.

DeRosa hit a grand slam and also a two-run homer to match his career high with six RBIs, Lilly pitched eight shutout innings and the Cubs ended a four-game skid with a 9-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.

“It felt good to contribute,” DeRosa said. “Hitting the grand slam, I felt kind of put the game away. We needed this win, no doubt. We’ve had our share of adversity.”

DeRosa hit his third career grand slam and produced his second multihomer game, which he also did on Aug. 9, 2006, at Oakland while with Texas. His power stroke helped Lilly (9-5) win his fourth straight decision.

Lilly was on the cusp of his fifth career complete game and third shutout, his first since he blanked Boston in a 3-0 win on Aug. 23, 2004, for Toronto.

DeRosa’s two-run homer came in the fifth off Barry Zito (3-12), then he connected for the grand slam in the eighth against Billy Sadler to give him 10 home runs, matching his 2007 total. All five of his June homers were hit in California. DeRosa had five total RBIs over his previous 17 games.

“Lilly gave us a big game on the mound and DeRosa gave us a big game with the bat,” manager Lou Piniella said. “It was a good win for us.”

Lilly struck out for the fifth time to start the ninth and the Cubs fans still jumped to their feet to give him a warm ovation, despite him becoming the first pitcher to do so since Clay Hensley in 2006.

“That was pretty funny. It would have been more fun to hit a little bloop single somewhere,” Lilly said. “I felt like I tried every different swing and every different stance.”

The fans cheered again when Piniella lifted Lilly for Kerry Wood in the ninth following consecutive singles. Wood allowed Rich Aurilia’s two-run double.

Lilly had been campaigning for Piniella to use him as a pinch-hitter. But probably not now.

“I wouldn’t blame him, especially after what he saw tonight,” Lilly said. “I don’t think that I put much fear in any of those pitchers. I guess once the scouting report gets out, I’m done now.”

Matt Murton hit a two-run double and Kosuke Fukudome also drove in a run for the Cubs, who were swept by the Chicago White Sox over the weekend to end interleague play and had dropped eight of 12 coming into this four-game series.

Lilly outpitched Zito in a matchup of a pair of lefties and former A’s teammates, with Zito becoming the major league leader for losses and falling to 0-8 at home in the Giants’ waterfront ballpark—where a large contingent of Cubs fans were in attendance.

Zito had to throw an extra 16 pitches after an error by third baseman Jose Castillo in the second, allowing Fukudome’s RBI single for the Cubs’ initial run.

“He had some bad luck out there,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He had a tough error at a bad time.”

Zito, trying to win back-to-back starts for the first time all year, has a 5.99 overall ERA and 7.33 at home. Zito walked five in five innings to up his season total to 22. That’s after he didn’t walk a batter in his last outing for the first time in 2008. But he also had a season-best six strikeouts.

The $126 million pitcher also became the franchise leader for losses before the All-Star break.

“It’s real frustrating. There’s no excuse,” Zito said. “My stuff was crisp and that’s a good sign. I’m encouraged even if I didn’t get the result I wanted. We ran into Lilly tonight, who pitched great. I feel more like myself as far as my stuff goes. That makes this one even harder. I was ready to turn it around.”

Lilly has 17 career wins in June, matching his winningest months of May and September. He’s 9-2 over his last 14 starts after starting the year 0-3.

“He started off slow,” Piniella said. “I mentioned a month or six weeks ago his stuff was getting better. His velocity, and he worked on his curveball. You could see he was going to get on a little bit of a roll and he has.”

Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez is away from the team for three days to attend to a personal family matter, Piniella said. DeRosa is playing in his place.

“No one’s going to replace him,” DeRosa said. “He’s one of the best hitters in the game.”

Swept by the Cubs a week ago at Wrigley Field, they were the ones doing the sweeping in their home park on the South Side of town.

They finished off the three-victory run at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday night, beating the Cubs 5-1 with homers from Carlos Quentin, Brian Anderson and Jim Thome backing solid pitching from Mark Buehrle.

“It’s going to be a different Monday in Chicago,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I bet White Sox fans can’t wait to get up for work because I know that was tough for them last weekend. It’s nice to see the fans with a smile on their face.”

Being home turned out to be the biggest factor in the six frenetic games between two first-place teams.

“It’s kind of crazy baseball,” Guillen said.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella wasn’t around for most of his team’s eighth loss in 12 games. He was ejected for the first time this season after arguing an appeal call on a checked swing in the second inning.

And Piniella wasn’t available for comment after the game.

“It was one of those things I think Lou was frustrated,” said bench coach Alan Trammell who filled in for Piniella in the dugout and at the postgame news conference.

The Cubs have their first four-game losing streak of the season and are 16-23 on the road with six more at San Francisco and St. Louis coming up.

“I can’t figure out why that is. We got to correct it if we want to go far,” the Cubs’ Mark DeRosa said. “We’ve got to win on the road, got to be able to go into other people’s backyards and get `Ws.’ We haven’t been able to do it.”

Illustrating the Cubs’ road woes was Aramis Ramirez. He homered four times against the White Sox last weekend but went 0-for-13 at U.S. Cellular the last three games.

Thome’s 15th homer, a two-run blast in the eighth off reliever Jose Ascanio, was his 522nd, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into sole possession of 16th place all-time.

The Cubs threatened in the ninth after a walk, and a double by DeRosa. But Jim Edmonds lined to White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher who threw to second to double off DeRosa and douse the threat. Daryle Ward then grounded out to end the game.

The White Sox swept three from the Cubs for only the second time—the first came at Wrigley Field in 1999, two years after interleague play began.

This season the two rivals met as first-place teams for the first time in interleague play and are still atop their respective divisions. The Cubs’ lead in the NL Central was sliced to 2 1/2 games with the loss and the White Sox are 1 1/2 ahead in the AL Central.

Buehrle (6-6) won his fourth straight decision, allowing six hits and an unearned run in seven innings in a matchup of lefties with the Cubs’ Sean Marshall (0-2). Marshall gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings, two of them homers.

“I’m done with this series. I’m kind of glad it’s over,” Buehrle said. “It’s so stressful playing these guys and everything that comes with it. I can’t wait for tomorrow to come in here … kind of relax and get back to normal.”

Quentin, who hit the go-ahead homer Saturday in the White Sox’s 6-5 win, connected for his 19th leading off the fourth to make it 1-0.

Anderson’s fourth homer was a two-run shot in the fifth that just carried over the fence in left center and gave Buehrle a three-run cushion.

The Cubs broke through in the seventh after DeRosa’s ground ball went through third baseman Joe Crede’s legs for an error. After Edmonds singled and Henry Blanco filed out, Ronny Cedeno delivered a two-out RBI single before Buehrle struck out Kosuke Fukudome with two on.

Piniella was ejected after protesting an appeal call from first base umpire Chad Fairchild. When Crede had a check swing at a potential third strike, an appeal was made to Fairchild, who ruled no swing and a ball.

That brought Piniella out of the dugout yelling in Fairchild’s direction. Home plate umpire Rob Drake ejected Piniella, who then began arguing with Drake.

Crew chief Jeff Kellogg came down from third to try to settle the situation. Piniella, known throughout his career for tantrums against umpires, left the field but not before waving at Fairchild and making another angry comment in his direction.

“He (Piniella) stood up for us. I guess the replay showed that he swung and from my angle it looked like he did,” said Marshall, who escaped the inning without a run scoring.

Trammell gave Fairchild an earful in the fifth. The White Sox turned an-around-the horn double play when Fairchild called Cedeno out, even though Swisher dropped the ball after the play. A replay appeared to show that Cedeno beat the throw.

A trip across town made all the difference for the White Sox.

Swept by the Cubs a week ago at Wrigley Field, they were the ones doing the sweeping in their home park on the South Side of town.

They finished off the three-victory run at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday night, beating the Cubs 5-1 with homers from Carlos Quentin, Brian Anderson and Jim Thome backing solid pitching from Mark Buehrle.

“It’s going to be a different Monday in Chicago,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I bet White Sox fans can’t wait to get up for work because I know that was tough for them last weekend. It’s nice to see the fans with a smile on their face.”

Being home turned out to be the biggest factor in the six frenetic games between two first-place teams.

“It’s kind of crazy baseball,” Guillen said.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella wasn’t around for most of his team’s eighth loss in 12 games. He was ejected for the first time this season after arguing an appeal call on a checked swing in the second inning.

And Piniella wasn’t available for comment after the game.

“It was one of those things I think Lou was frustrated,” said bench coach Alan Trammell who filled in for Piniella in the dugout and at the postgame news conference.

The Cubs have their first four-game losing streak of the season and are 16-23 on the road with six more at San Francisco and St. Louis coming up.

“I can’t figure out why that is. We got to correct it if we want to go far,” the Cubs’ Mark DeRosa said. “We’ve got to win on the road, got to be able to go into other people’s backyards and get `Ws.’ We haven’t been able to do it.”

Illustrating the Cubs’ road woes was Aramis Ramirez. He homered four times against the White Sox last weekend but went 0-for-13 at U.S. Cellular the last three games.

Thome’s 15th homer, a two-run blast in the eighth off reliever Jose Ascanio, was his 522nd, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into sole possession of 16th place all-time.

The Cubs threatened in the ninth after a walk, and a double by DeRosa. But Jim Edmonds lined to White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher who threw to second to double off DeRosa and douse the threat. Daryle Ward then grounded out to end the game.

The White Sox swept three from the Cubs for only the second time—the first came at Wrigley Field in 1999, two years after interleague play began.

This season the two rivals met as first-place teams for the first time in interleague play and are still atop their respective divisions. The Cubs’ lead in the NL Central was sliced to 2 1/2 games with the loss and the White Sox are 1 1/2 ahead in the AL Central.

Buehrle (6-6) won his fourth straight decision, allowing six hits and an unearned run in seven innings in a matchup of lefties with the Cubs’ Sean Marshall (0-2). Marshall gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings, two of them homers.

“I’m done with this series. I’m kind of glad it’s over,” Buehrle said. “It’s so stressful playing these guys and everything that comes with it. I can’t wait for tomorrow to come in here … kind of relax and get back to normal.”

Quentin, who hit the go-ahead homer Saturday in the White Sox’s 6-5 win, connected for his 19th leading off the fourth to make it 1-0.

Anderson’s fourth homer was a two-run shot in the fifth that just carried over the fence in left center and gave Buehrle a three-run cushion.

The Cubs broke through in the seventh after DeRosa’s ground ball went through third baseman Joe Crede’s legs for an error. After Edmonds singled and Henry Blanco filed out, Ronny Cedeno delivered a two-out RBI single before Buehrle struck out Kosuke Fukudome with two on.

Piniella was ejected after protesting an appeal call from first base umpire Chad Fairchild. When Crede had a check swing at a potential third strike, an appeal was made to Fairchild, who ruled no swing and a ball.

That brought Piniella out of the dugout yelling in Fairchild’s direction. Home plate umpire Rob Drake ejected Piniella, who then began arguing with Drake.

Crew chief Jeff Kellogg came down from third to try to settle the situation. Piniella, known throughout his career for tantrums against umpires, left the field but not before waving at Fairchild and making another angry comment in his direction.

“He (Piniella) stood up for us. I guess the replay showed that he swung and from my angle it looked like he did,” said Marshall, who escaped the inning without a run scoring.

Trammell gave Fairchild an earful in the fifth. The White Sox turned an-around-the horn double play when Fairchild called Cedeno out, even though Swisher dropped the ball after the play. A replay appeared to show that Cedeno beat the throw.

Derrick Rose grew up a few miles from the United Center. Now he’ll call the arena home.

The Chicago Bulls took Rose with the No. 1 draft pick on Thursday, opting for the point guard who led Memphis to the NCAA championship game over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley.

“It’s been amazing just waking up in the morning, knowing that today is my day and knowing that I’m going to have a chance to be in the first two picks,” Rose said. “Man, it’s been crazy running around, making me feel important. You really don’t want the day to end.”

That the Bulls went with Rose wasn’t a big surprise.

General manager John Paxson had hinted that they were leaning toward the dynamic floor leader who averaged 14.9 points and 4.7 assists while helping Memphis win a record 38 games in his lone season.

“I think he’s a special type of talent,” Paxson said. “I do feel the point guard position is really tough to come by. I think he had the unique strength component and speed component that a lot of point guards in this league don’t have. … He’s 19 years old and we feel like for the next 10, 12 years we’ve got a position covered that is really important to have.”

Not that choosing him over Beasley was easy. Both players probably could have jumped to the NBA from high school if league rules still allowed.

Instead, Beasley delivered one of the best seasons ever by a freshman, becoming just the third to lead the nation in rebounds at 12.4 per game while averaging 26.2 points. He had the second-most rebounds and third-most points by a freshman in NCAA history, helping Kansas State to its first NCAA tournament victory in 20 years.

He is projected to be a prolific scorer, something the Bulls certainly could use, and Paxson had said he would probably make a bigger impact next season.

Yet they saw Rose as a better fit after a disappointing 33-49 season.

The Bulls lacked leadership last season, and they are trying to pick up the tempo under new coach Vinny Del Negro without sacrificing much on defense— areas where Rose could help. They were also thinking long-term with the pick.

“He’s going to make guys better,” Del Negro said. “Guys that have his ability—length, create, finish with contact—are only going to benefit everybody on the team.”

Although Paxson said the Bulls will try to bring him along slowly, Rose believes he’ll be a quick study.

“I think I’ll come in and lead the team,” Rose said. “That’s how I feel.”

Can a 19-year-old rookie do that?

“I think I can be a leader on the court and off the court,” Rose said. “Age doesn’t really matter. It’s about how effective you are, and I think I’m getting better with my leadership skills.”

Rose is just the second guard taken with the first pick since Magic Johnson in 1979, joining Allen Iverson in 1996, and he’s the Bulls’ first No. 1 pick since Elton Brand in 1999. The Bulls went with Arkansas forward Sonny Weems in the second round, taking him with the 39th pick and sending him to Denver in a three-team deal involving several future draft picks that landed Chicago the rights to center Omer Asik from Portland, the 36th selection.

A product of city’s South Side, he had Memphis in position to win the national championship before things ended on a sour note. Rose scored 14 of his team’s 16 points during one stretch as the Tigers built a nine-point lead late in the title game against Kansas, but he missed one of two free throws with 10.8 seconds left. Mario Chalmers then hit the tying 3-pointer, and the Jayhawks won in overtime.

Even so, Rose made a convincing case that he was one of the top players in the draft. He was particularly good during the NCAA tournament, averaging 20.8 points after a solid regular season and now, he’ll try to help his hometown team pick up the pieces after a brutal season.

“Of course there’s pressure,” Rose said. “But I’m used to playing in Chicago. I think that will work to my advantage.”

Rose grew up in the rough Englewood neighborhood and starred at Simeon Career Academy. He’s old enough to remember the end of the championship dynasty but also saw Chicago hit the bottom of the NBA.

The Bulls thought they were on the right track after three straight playoff appearances but derailed as individual agendas took hold last season.

Luol Deng and Ben Gordon turned down five-year contract extensions and Kobe Bryant trade rumors surfaced as the season started. Players bickered with each other and their coaches. Scott Skiles got fired in December, interim coach Jim Boylan was let go at the end of the season, and the Bulls’ coaching search dragged on about two months before they finally hired Del Negro after high-profile flirtations with Mike D’Antoni and Doug Collins.

The team’s luck—and Rose’s career path—took a dramatic turn on May 20.

Rose signed with agents Arn Tellem and B.J. Armstrong, the former Bulls player, and told them he hoped to play for Chicago. That drew laughter, but a few hours later, there were gasps. The Bulls won the draft lottery despite 1.7 percent odds, and a long shot turned into a strong possibility.

Chicago still has issues to address, starting with Deng and Gordon.

They’re restricted free agents, and even if Gordon leaves, the Bulls still have a crowd in the backcourt. Kirk Hinrich and Larry Hughes have large contracts, and Thabo Sefolosha made a case for more playing time last season.

Brian Roberts might have been playing a lot of games at Wrigley Field instead of making a stop with the Baltimore Orioles’ on their first visit to the historic ballpark.

Rampant offseason trade rumors had him on the verge of joining the Chicago Cubs—and whether they were on target or not—he showed Tuesday night why he attracted so much interest.

Roberts had three hits to reach 1,000 for his career, closer George Sherrill struck out the side after the Cubs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and the Orioles ended Chicago’s 14-game home-field winning streak with a 7-5 victory.

“It’s a great atmosphere,” Roberts said. “The fans love their baseball. … What we dealt with for four months you think about it a little bit. It’s just a fun night to be part of.”

The Orioles led 7-1 before it got tense over the last few innings, especially the ninth.

Chicago loaded the bases off Sherrill on Geovany Soto’s single, a walk to Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot’s infield single before the left-hander found his strikeout pitch and got his 26th save in 29 chances.

He struck out Ronny Cedeno, Kosuke Fukudome and Henry Blanco to end the game.

“It makes it a little more stressful, but I don’t get nervous out there,” Sherrill said. “I get nervous when it’s someone else, not me.”

Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team lost at home for the first time since May 17, wasn’t happy with his team’s final three at-bats.

“It was a good comeback. We got too far behind. … We didn’t have three good at-bats with the bases loaded. We didn’t swing at strikes,” Piniella said.

“We got to put the ball in play and we couldn’t,” Blanco said. “You do the best you can. This guy has 26 saves in the big leagues and you knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Roberts had two singles and his sixth triple of the season, giving him 1,000 hits.

“I didn’t really think about it. But if it is a big hit, it makes it a little more significant,” Roberts said. “It didn’t seem like it at the time, but later in the game it turned out to be.”

Roberts, for sure, heard the trade rumors. He couldn’t help but do so during the offseason.

“I thought I was going to be a Cub in December,” Roberts said before the game. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. … Once the season started you just kinda go out and play your spot and the rest will take care of itself. I really haven’t thought about in a long time.”

Jeremy Guthrie (4-7) allowed only four hits and a run over the first six innings as the Orioles took a 7-1 lead.

But he was driven out in the seventh when Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer after singles by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, slicing the lead to 7-4. After a walk, reliever Jim Johnson got DeRosa to hit into Chicago’s fourth double play of the night to douse the rally.

Ramirez hit an RBI single in the eighth and the Cubs still had two on before Sherrill relieved and got pinch-hitter Matt Murton to fly out.

Cubs’ starter Sean Marshall (0-1)—just recalled from Triple-A—lasted only 4 2-3 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs. The Orioles went up by six with three unearned runs in the sixth off reliever Michael Wuertz.

Luke Scott hit a two-run triple, a liner that got by right fielder Kosuke Fukudome in the fourth. It followed a walk and single by Ramon Hernandez.

Fukudome hit his sixth homer leading off the fourth to make it 2-1.

Roberts singled in the fifth and scored on Nick Markakis’ RBI double. Markakis moved up on a fly ball and scored on Kevin Millar’s RBI single that finished Marshall and made it 4-1.

Scott was initially credited with a double in the sixth when he hit a high pop that shortstop Theriot signaled was his. But when left fielder Eric Patterson called him off late, Theriot got out of his way and the ball dropped. The official scorer changed the ruling to an error on Patterson and one out later, Alex Cintron hit an RBI double.

He scored when Roberts drove one into the gap in right center for a triple. Markakis then delivered an RBI single.

Derrick Rose’s response was as direct as one of his passes.

The best player in the draft? He reiterated it’s Michael Beasley.

“Hands down he is,” Rose said after working out with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.

The No. 1 pick? It could be Rose.

While he was quick to praise Beasley again, just as he did at the NBA’s pre-draft camp, Rose also made it clear he would love to play for his hometown team.

The Chicago Bulls have the top pick in the draft next week and an important decision to make. Do they go with Beasley, the forward from Kansas State who would give them a scoring presence? Or Rose, the point guard from Chicago who led Memphis to the NCAA championship game?

While Beasley indicated earlier in the week that he would visit Miami, which has the No. 2 pick, Rose had no other trips planned. The workout on Thursday was his first—and perhaps only—one.

“Right now, he’s not scheduled to work out with the Heat,” said Reggie Rose, his older brother. “This might be the last stop, I hope.”

Reggie Rose said they are willing to visit Miami, but, “This might be it.”

If the Bulls are it, that would be just fine with Derrick Rose, who grew up on the city’s South Side and played at Simeon High School before leading Memphis to the NCAA final in his lone season with the Tigers.

Rose averaged 14.9 points and 4.7 assists while leading Memphis to an NCAA Division I record 38 victories and was particularly good during the NCAA tournament. He averaged 20.8 points and dominated Kansas in the championship game until the final seconds of regulation.

Memphis was leading by two when Rose stepped to the line with 10.8 seconds left and a chance to seal the victory. Instead of making it a two-possession game, he made one of two free throws. That gave Kansas a chance to tie it and the Jayhawks’ Mario Chalmers did just that after Memphis couldn’t foul, sending the game into overtime with a 3-pointer that crushed the Tigers.

“It was real tough knowing that I was one of the reasons we lost, not hitting a free throw,” Rose said.

Now, he could be the man who helps the Bulls rebound from their most disappointing season in years. Expected to contend in the Eastern Conference after three straight playoff appearances, Chicago lost 49 games as players bickered with each other and their coaches.

Scott Skiles was fired in December, and interim coach Jim Boylan lost his job at the end of the season. The Bulls finally hired Vinny Del Negro after a two-month coaching search in which they seemed ready to go with Mike D’Antoni and then Doug Collins.

Along the way, Chicago’s luck took a turn for the better when it defied 1.7-percent odds and won the lottery.

“When I signed with (agent) Arn Tellem, we were in a room,” Rose said. “He was like, ‘Which team do you want to play for?’ And he was like, ‘I know your hometown.’ Everybody in the room started laughing because we thought it was impossible. That night when the Bulls got the No. 1 pick, I was looking at the TV like this can’t be true.”

Rose said he never owned a Michael Jordan jersey growing up. He paid closer attention to LeBron James and the two could have something in common in the near future: No. 1 picks who got drafted by the local team.

“I would love to play here,” Rose said. “It’s a dream come true. You get to bring the Bulls back to where they’re supposed to be, hopefully, take it step by step and make progress.”

But if Beasley’s the best player, why should the Bulls take Rose?

“I think I can control the team a little bit more,” Rose said. “I think I’m a leader. And I think I’ll push the players and everyone else to have that attitude.”

If Chicago doesn’t pick him?

“I’ll be hurt a little bit, but my goal is to be playing in the NBA,” Rose said.

Vinny Del Negro has been offered the Chicago Bulls head coaching job, according to a person within the league who is familiar with the situation.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made Monday.

An official announcement, which could come this week, would end a nearly two-month search that included courtships of Mike D’Antoni and Doug Collins.

Del Negro, the assistant general manager of the Phoenix Suns who has never been a head coach, would take over a team that went from 49 wins to 49 losses this past season and missed the playoffs after making the second round in 2007.

sluggish start cost coach Scott Skiles his job in December, and interim coach Jim Boylan was fired April 17. Former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey and Sacramento assistant Chuck Person also recently interviewed.

Messages left for Del Negro and Bulls GM John Paxson were not immediately returned.

Del Negro, who played collegiately at N.C. State, was drafted in 1988 by Sacramento and also played for San Antonio, Milwaukee, Golden State and Phoenix, averaging 9.9 points in 771 NBA games. He also played in Italy.

The Bulls were poised to make an offer to D’Antoni in early May only to see him jump from the Phoenix Suns to the New York Knicks before hearing chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s presentation.

Collins, who coached a young Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the late 1980s before the championship run, also entered the picture, embracing the idea of a second opportunity in Chicago after the Bulls won the draft lottery and a shot at Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley.

The sides publicly acknowledged interest and said there would be more talks once Collins’ broadcast duties with TNT were finished. That happened when the Los Angeles Lakers beat San Antonio, but a potential deal unraveled.

Collins told Reinsdorf to look elsewhere June 6.

“I called Jerry this afternoon and said, ‘Let’s move forward and make sure we stay the friends that we have been for 25 years,”’ Collins said at the time. “It had to be a home run, and both of us had a little angst over it. So we both agreed it wasn’t the best to keep going this way.”

The Bulls, too, need a change of direction after unraveling just as the season tipped off.

A first-round sweep of Miami—Chicago’s first series victory since the championship era—and a six-game loss to Detroit in the second round last year gave the Bulls high hopes that quickly crashed. The Kobe Bryant trade rumors and failed contract negotiations with Luol Deng and Ben Gordon—who turned down five-year extensions worth more than $50 million—left Chicago in a funk it could not shake.

The unselfishness and hard-nosed defense that defined recent teams was missing. Players bickered with each other and lashed out at coaches as the losses mounted, and some skipped practices and shootarounds.

Joakim Noah, last year’s first-round pick, lashed out at assistant Ron Adams in January and was initially suspended one game before teammates voted to make it two. Noah also clashed with Ben Wallace, who was traded to Cleveland.

And just last month Noah was arrested in Gainesville, Fla., for having an open container of alcohol and also was charged with marijuana possession.

Tyrus Thomas skipped practice, Chris Duhon missed a shootaround the day after he attended a Duke-North Carolina game, and Andres Nocioni had words with Boylan during a game. Duhon is an unrestricted free agent who probably won’t be back, and Paxson figures to make some moves whether the No. 1 pick is involved or not.

“Hardly a year goes by when you don’t do something. But first we have to decide what we want to do with the pick,” Reinsdorf said last week. “And then we listen to offers for it, and then we’ll think about what else we’re going to do.”