OAKLAND -- Julian Tavarez's pitch count climbed at an alarming rate over the first three innings, when it took him 72 pitches to get nine outs.

But the right-hander, pitching for the first time since May 27 because rainouts and scheduled days off forced manager Terry Francona to alter his rotation, managed to make key pitches when he had to in working the first 5 2/3 innings.

Tavarez, who threw a season-high 107 pitches, was charged with three runs, but held the Athletics to 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position to keep the game from getting out of hand and allowing the Red Sox the opportunity to get back into it.

Going all out

Francona sent Jason Varitek to pinch hit in the ninth inning. After Varitek responded with an RBI single, Francona replaced him with pinch runner Coco Crisp, leaving the Red Sox with no experienced catcher to put in if Doug Mirabelli had gotten hurt.

Francona was trying to pull out all the stops to tie or win the game. His moves paid off, as Boston knotted the game at 4-4.

But who would have gone behind the dish had something happened to Mirabelli?

"Someone would have volunteered," said Francona, noting that third baseman Mike Lowell caught as youth.

If he had had to use Lowell or Kevin Youkilis behind the plate, Francona likely would have brought in David Ortiz to play first, losing the DH. It didn't happen, of course, but, said Francona, "I'd rather do that (make those moves with Varitek and Crisp) than play it safe."

A home run at last

David Ortiz finally got to break out his home-run trot again.

The Sox' designated hitter lined a homer to right in the first inning, snapping a homerless drought at 19 games, his longest such dry spell since joining Boston in 2003. He had gone 69 at-bats without a homer. This one was his 10th of the season. He also mashed two more doubles, giving him 23 for the season. The 3-for-4 night boosted his average to .333.

Ellis hits for cycle

Oakland's Mark Ellis hit for the cycle, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat against the Red Sox since Cleveland's Andre Thornton on April 22, 1978, at Fenway Park.

Ellis laced a two-run triple in the second, thanks to the fact that Wily Mo Pena was unable to cut off the ball in the gap, homered to left in the fourth and doubled to left-center in the sixth.

That left him a single shy of the cycle. He had a chance in the eighth, but he hit a grounder to third with runners at first and second. Youkilis made a diving play, got up and threw wide to second for an error.

Fortunately for Ellis, the Sox tied the game and sent it into extra innings. He shattered his bat but plunked a single to center in the 10th, completing his cycle.

Here and there

Dustin Pedroia also was fortunate the game went into extra innings. Pedroia, batting leadoff for the first time this year, was 0 for 4 before smacking a single to right in the 10th, extending his hit streak to 14 games. . . . Oakland's Dan Haren, who allowed two runs on four hits in 7 2/3 innings, had his league-leading earned-run average jump a tad, to a still very impressive 1.70 . . . The Athletics were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position for the game . . . Brendan Donnelly was outstanding in his 1 1/3 innings. He didn't allow a baserunner and whiffed two.