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CHICAGO -- Sammy Sosa turned the jeers into cheers, even if they were a little soggy. Sosa hit a tie-breaking, two-out solo homer in a rainy seventh inning Wednesday to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and back into second place in the Central Division.

The game had been delayed 54 minutes by rain before the Cubs half of the seventh. Todd Van Poppel (3-4) retired the first two batters he faced before Sosa connected on his 18th home run off a 3-0 pitch, a line drive into the basket rimming the left-field bleachers.

"It was tough, raining like that," Sosa said of the conditions. "I got a green light and he threw me a high pitch but I made my mind up to go out and swing. It's not like it was a cookie right there."

It was Sosa's eighth homer in 28 games since coming off the disabled list. He's hitting .238 in that stretch. It also was career homer No. 557, and he is moving closer to Reggie Jackson on the all-time list. Mr. October has 563 homers and in eighth place.

"He really picked us up," said Cubs reliever Todd Wellemeyer, who picked up the win. "We needed that run and we got it."

Not all of the crowd of 38,761 at Wrigley Field cheered for Sosa in his at-bats in the first and fifth innings when he struck out.

"I come here to play hard every day, play 110 percent every day and try to do the best that I can," Sosa said. "I don't know where that (booing) comes from. It shocks and surprises me to hear that. They want us to win so bad, maybe that's what forces them to react like that. We've been playing the best we can.

"I wish every time we could come through," he said. "We need some support, we need some love. This year we've been up and down because of the injuries. (The fans) have to understand all the things."

Moises Alou and Derrek Lee each hit two-run homers for the Cubs, who snapped a three-game losing streak. It was a much-needed win after being swept by Central leader St. Louis in a two-game series.

"We're not struggling," Sosa said of the Cubs. "We're competitors. We come here every day to do our job. Sometimes it's not going to be the way we want it. We have to deal with that. If we don't have a good day, it doesn't mean that we're not good players any more. It doesn't mean the world is ending.

"We're playing good baseball but we're playing teams that are playing good against us," he said. "We do everything we can and we do the best we can."

Cubs starter Matt Clement didn't get a decision, which is almost a mini-victory for him. Clement has not won since June 8, suffering several tough losses in that time frame. He gave up four runs on seven hits over six innings while striking out seven.

"Today was almost a win with a no decision, rather than a loss," Clement said.

The Reds had taken the lead in the first on D'Angelo Jimenez's two-out, two-run single. Alou tied the game in the third with his 22nd home run off a 1-0 pitch from Reds starter Paul Wilson. Alou has now matched his home run total from last year.

The Reds answered in the fourth with solo homers by Wily Mo Pena, his 14th, and Jason LaRue, his 11th, to go ahead, 4-2.

Alou walked to lead off the sixth and Lee followed with his 16th home run, off the first pitch from Wilson, to tie the game at 4-4.

The key moment in the game came in the seventh. With the rain falling, the Reds loaded the bases, but Wellemeyer got John Vander Wal looking at strike three to end the inning.

"In the seventh, the ball was terrible," Wellemeyer said. "I'd throw one in and get one back and it would be just as bad. It got pretty wet out there."

And then the rain really came down to halt play. Wellemeyer (1-0) had not pitched since being activated from the disabled list July 16.

"It's a little more entertaining out there," Wellemeyer said of the bases-loaded situation.

"It was the play of the game getting that strikeout there of Vander Wal," Clement said. "It was one of those games which hopefully can be a turning point. You lose that game and it seems like it gets more negative. You win that game, a game that's tough and a game you're behind in and it shows the character of the team."

Not that there are any negative vibes in the Cubs' clubhouse.

"We don't think we're out of anything," Clement said. "We think we have a chance. We haven't played together healthy yet in too many games this year. That's why today was a big game. There were a lot of high emotions."

LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 17 opportunities. It was an efficient save, one day after the right-hander had been ejected from the game for arguing with umpire Tim Tschida.

"That's Hawk's job," Baker said of the ninth. "Hawk threw the ball great today. That's as well as we've seen him throw."

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.