BOSTON -- David Ortiz doesn't have a monopoly on walk-off heroics. It just seems that way sometimes.

Last night, even before Ortiz could get to the plate, Mark Loretta took care of business. Loretta banged a two-out, two-run double off the left field wall to push the Red Sox to a thrilling 6-5 comeback win over the Cleveland Indians.

For the second time in the last three nights, the Red Sox made sport of rookie closer Fausto Carmona. Monday night, Ortiz drilled a three-run homer to center off Carmona.

Last night, Carmona did most of the self-destructing on his own, hitting two batters and walking a third after striking out the first two hitters in the ninth.

"I went up there looking for a fastball, something to drive," said Loretta, who hit a walk-off homer on Patriots Day to edge Seattle. "After he came up and in, I figured he would come in with a fastball and I got one I could handle."

Loretta credited the sell-out crowd with infusing the Sox with energy to spark their comeback.

"Since David has pulled off all these walk-off wins," Loretta said, "our fans really think anything is possible. I think they rattled Carmona."

The victory enabled the Sox to keep pace with New York, which beat Toronto. Jonathan Papelbon earned the win.

The Sox had given up the lead an inning before when Mike Timlin yielded a two-run belt into the bleachers to Travis Hafner, erasing what had been a 4-3 Red Sox lead.

The walk-off win was the Red Sox' third in the last five days -- with Ortiz providing the first two -- and seventh this season.

"It's not the situation we want to be in," said Terry Francona of the Sox trailing in their final at-bat. "We'd much rather be up by one. But in this ballpark, crazy things happen. I think [tonight] was a combination of [the Indians] having some youth out there, we have a team that doesn't quit and the whole ballpark is vibrating [helps]. Our guys don't give up. Thankfully, we just don't stop playing."

The Sox didn't take their first lead of the night until the sixth when they used homers by Manny Ramirez -- extending his hitting streak to 18 games -- and Wily Mo Pena to take advantage of Brian Sikorski.

Francona labeled Pena's shot -- a laser that just cleared the wall in left -- "hit as hard as I've ever seen a ball."

Until then, the Sox were kept in check by rookie lefty Jeremy Sowers, whom Francona scouted in 2001 when the Sox manager worked in the Indians player development department.

Only once in the first four innings did the Sox get a man into scoring position. That came in the second when, following a two-out walk to Coco Crisp, Doug Mirabelli sliced an opposite-field ground-rule double to right.

But Sowers slipped a called third strike past Alez Gonzalez to strand both baserunners.

In the fifth, the Sox finally got to Sowers for a run. Once again, things got going after two were out. Gonzalez doubled to center, then rode home when Kevin Youkilis banged a double high off The Wall.

A line single to center by Loretta then delivered Youkilis with the Red Sox' second run.

Starter Jon Lester was bashed around in the first, needing 36 pitches to get through the inning, the same number Jason Johnson needed Tuesday night.

Hafner's sacrifice fly scored Grady Sizemore (triple) and Victor Martinez followed with a homer into the Monster Seats.

A single and steal by Casey Blake followed by a run-scoring single from Jhonny Peralta produced the third run.

But thereafter, Lester settled in nicely, allowing just four hits the rest of the way.

"I really didn't have much tonight," said Lester. "But after the first, we tried to mix in more off-speed pitches. We didn't get away from the fastball (in the first) and they kept hitting it. After the first inning, we made the adjustment."

He was helped twice by Crisp, who started two double plays in center.

With Kelly Shoppach aboard with a leadoff double in the second, Andy Marte flied to Crisp. Shoppach, with one out, unwisely took off for second and Crisp's throw to Alex Gonzalez and relay to Mike Lowell was waiting as the former Sox catching prospect slid into the third-base bag.

But Crisp's best work came in the sixth when Blake, who hit three homers in the first two games of the series, drilled a ball to deep left-center. Crisp made a fine play to run the ball down, then set himself quickly to hit shortstop Alex Gonzalez, the cutoff man. Gonzalez took the throw on the run, then fired a strike to Youkilis, who recorded the out before Blake could scamper back.

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