Curt Schilling fails to notch his fifth straight victory, but Manny Ramirez makes sure of a happy ending for Boston with a three-run shot in the eighth inning.

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, April 26, 2006

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- This is the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so it's only fitting that Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling was singing the blues last night.

Boston's ace entered the game one win shy of beginning the season 5-0 in his first five starts, attempting to become the 11th pitcher in franchise history to achieve that distinction. But the veteran right-hander came up short.

He left the game in a 5-5 tie with the Cleveland Indians after 133 pitches through 6 2/3 innings while allowing five runs on nine hits. He had to settle for a no-decision. However, teammate Manny Ramirez blasted a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to lead the Red Sox to an 8-6 victory over the Indians in the first of a three-game series at Jacobs Field.

"I thought (Schilling) was strong," said Boston manager Terry Francona. "He felt he was strong, we won't do that every five days. I had no reservations sending him back out there. If I didn't think he was making pitches, I wouldn't have sent him back out there."

While Schilling's attempt at history was cut short, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon earned his ninth save to tie the major-league record for saves by a rookie in the month of April. After retiring the side in order last night, he matched Mike MacDougall (Kansas City in 2003) with nine saves.

Schilling was a workhorse in the frigid temperatures, which dipped into the 30s by nightfall. His pitch count was the highest by a Boston pitcher since Pedro Martinez threw 136 on May 1, 2001 at Seattle. In fact, the last time Schilling threw as many pitches was on July 7, 2000, when he ran his pitch count to 135 in a nine-inning complete game for Philadelphia.

Last night, however, was a battle in every sense of the word for Schilling.

"That's not even close to the amount of pitches he used to throw with me as the manager," said Francona, who managed Schilling and the Phillies in 2000. "We didn't even go on pitches, we went on hours."

Despite the cold temps, Schilling said it wasn't difficult to work because your body heat keeps you going, and a pitcher doesn't have to battle the heat.

"It was a night where (133 pitches) were possible," he said. "The weather was really good and I felt so strong. I came in after six and I felt great, I felt strong. I just didn't execute in the seventh."

Boston gave him an early cushion as it jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning on Mark Loretta's two-run single before the Indians answered in the home half. With one out and one on, Cleveland's Ben Broussard crushed a 1-1 offering from Schilling and deposited it into the left-center field stands to tie the game at 2-2.

Boston jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on Mark Loretta's two-run single before the Indians answered in the home half. With one out and one on, Cleveland's Ben Broussard crushed a 1-1 offering from Schilling and deposited it into the left-center-field stands to tie the game at 2-2.

In the bottom of the third, the Indians gained a two-run advantage. With one out, Grady Sizemore launched a triple to deep left-center and later scored on Jason Michaels' single. With two out, Travis Hafner hit an RBI double for a 4-2 Cleveland lead.

The Sox played small ball in the sixth and pushed their third run across. Mike Lowell led off with a single and Willie Harris drew a walk before Alex Gonzalez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to put the runners in scoring position. Kevin Youkilis drove the ball to deep left for a sacrifice fly, cutting Boston's deficit to 4-3.

It didn't take long for the Red Sox to take the lead.

David Ortiz crushed the first offering from reliever Scott Sauerbeck to deep left-center in the seventh for his ninth home run of the season, tying the game at 4-4. His round-tripper tied a franchise record for homers in the month of April (Ramirez hit nine in 2001).

Later in the seventh, Ramirez scored the go-ahead run from second on Lowell's single to left. Michaels made a perfect throw, but when Ramirez slid he knocked the ball out of catcher Victor Martinez's mitt for a 5-4 lead.

The lead didn't last long, though.

Schilling entered the bottom of the seventh having thrown 110 pitches, and allowed a leadoff double to Cleveland's No. 9 hitter, Casey Blake. Sizemore followed with a lengthy at-bat, and won the battle with an RBI single to left that made it 5-5.

With the potential go-ahead run aboard and none out, Schilling was in an all-out, 10-pitch battle with Michaels before Michaels lined a shot right back to the mound with the runner in motion. Schilling snared the line drive and doubled up the runner. He thought he had struck out Hafner to end the inning, but issued a walk. With 133 pitches, manager Terry Francona made a pitching change, to the chagrin of Schilling, who showed a bit of emotion when he slammed the ball into his glove.

Reliever Keith Foulke recorded the final out of the inning before the Red Sox regained the lead in the top of the eighth on Ramirez's 438th career home run, a three-run blast off Guillermo Mota to give Boston an 8-5 lead. The home run put him in a tie with Andre Dawson for 32nd on the all time list.

Cleveland pushed a run across in the eighth when Aaron Boone hit an RBI double off Foulke to cut the Indians' deficit to two runs, but Mike Timlin closed out the inning with a strikeout of Sizemore with two runners aboard.

jmcdonal@projo.com / (401) 277-7340