BOSTON — Jonathan Papelbon wasn’t the only member of the Red Sox bullpen last night to allow his first run this season.

While Papelbon had a tough night, blowing a save, Brendan Donnelly also was scored upon for the first time. And the run he gave up cost Boston the game in the 5-4, 10-inning loss to Oakland.

Mike Piazza greeted Donnelly by smashing his first pitch into left-center field for a double. He scored moments later when Dan Johnson dropped a double into the right-field corner, snapping the 4-4 tie.

“I made a bad pitch, that first pitch,” said Donnelly, who had gone six scoreless innings, holding the opposition to a .100 batting average prior to last night’s appearance.

“I missed by about three feet and he let me know about it. A leadoff double in extra innings is not a good thing,” said the right-hander.

Donnelly thought Johnson might be bunting to get Piazza to third with one out, but Johnson showed no signs of squaring. And eventually Johnson, who had homered earlier off Curt Schilling, turned on a 3-and-1 pitch and smacked his game-winning double.

“Before I knew what was going on we were losing the game,” said Donnelly. “I had the opportunity to do something right there for the team and I failed.”

Crisp does his things

Coco Crisp was the early star of the game for the Sox with his legs and with his glove.

In the first inning, Crisp beat out a grounder to short, setting in motion Boston’s three-run uprising. And he hustled his way from first to third on a hard single to center by Manny Ramirez with one out in the third.

Crisp made it to third without a throw and he was able to score on Kevin Youkilis’ sacrifice fly to left, manufacturing a run for Boston that put the Sox on top, 4-0.

It looked like he had helped save the game on defense when he charged in and took a hit away from pinch-hitter Todd Walker with runners at first and third and none out in the seventh.

Crisp made an all-out dive for the looping liner, ignoring the fact he had left-shoulder troubles in the spring and recently missed five games because of a tight left oblique muscle.

The play went as a sacrifice fly, but the catch stifled a budding rally.

“I went straight to it,” said Crisp, who added to his Sox highlight reel of catches, going back to last year’s sensational diving catches against the Mets and Athletics.

“I went at it like I was going 100 percent to dive to it. When I got close enough, I felt I had enough room to push off and catch it, and I was able to make it. The ball is hit sometimes just perfectly to let you make a nice play,” he said.

Schilling gets short end

Schilling got saddled with a no-decision last night when Papelbon failed in the ninth.

Schilling went seven innings and allowed two runs on eight hits while striking out eight and walking none.

“We had a good game plan going in,” said Schilling. “I felt good. I felt like we had the game in hand if we could just execute.”

Schilling has allowed two earned runs or less in four of his six starts this season and has pitched at least seven innings in each of his last four starts.

Schilling had a message written on his shoe — “For Pete’s Sake” — for a young boy, Pete Despain, who is battling cancer.

“He’s going through chemo right now,” said Schilling. “Actually, he had his fourth chemo treatment today. He came up with the slogan. We’ve kind of been in touch with each other the last couple of months and he’s doing well. He’s doing really well and he sends me an e-mail quite often so we keep in touch.”

Milestone for Manny

Manny Ramirez collected his 1000th hit as a member of the Sox with an eighth-inning single to center. He became the 14th player in baseball history to collect 1,000 hits with two teams — he also did so with Cleveland.

Five players have done so with the Red Sox — Joe Cronin, Jimmie Foxx, Carlton Fisk and Tris Speaker were the others.

Ramirez became the 26th player to record 1,000 hits with the Sox.

Pedroia on borrowed time

Dustin Pedroia was in the starting lineup for the Red Sox last night, but not before manager Terry Francona wrestled with the decision.

Francona was sorely tempted to play Alex Cora after Cora homered Sunday in the Red Sox’ road-trip finale. Over his previous nine games with at least one at-bat, Cora was .429 with seven RBI and had homered in two of his last four games.

The manager was conflicted enough about his choice that he called Cora into his office to speak with him.

“I just wanted him to understand that we’re in this for the long haul, said Francona. “Part of my responsibility is to help this kid (Pedroia) get going — and do what’s right. Sometimes, you have to look at more than just today. The kid is having a hard enough time without me adding to it.

Pedroia went into last night hitting just .182, and with one hit in his previous 11 at-bats.

After Cora’s big day Sunday and righty Joe Blanton on the mound for Oakland, Francona said it would have been understandable if Cora had expected to see his name on the lineup card.

“If I’m thinking about it this much,” said Francona, “he is, too. (But) going with the hot hand is the easy thing to do.”

Nonetheless, Francona doesn’t want to forget about Cora’s contributions either. With righty Chad Gaudin scheduled to pitch for Oakland tonight and lefty Horacio Ramirez set for Seattle tomorrow, there’s a good chance Cora will be in the lineup tonight.

Look out below

Top prospect Clay Buchholz, a sandwich pick for the Red Sox in 2005, was perfect through six innings against Bowie last night for Double-A Portland before losing the perfect game (and no-hitter) when he allowed a single in the seventh inning.

Buchholz left after seven, having faced the minimum 21 hitters, but when reliever Kyle Jackson allowed a run in the top of the eighth, Buchholz didn’t figure in the decision.

Buchholz struck out nine and lowered his ERA to 1.61.

Drew out

About an hour before the game, the Red Sox scratched right fielder J.D. Drew from the starting lineup because of “viral symptoms.”

Eric Hinske replaced Drew. Hinske is a left-handed hitter, and Oakland started a right-hander (Joe Blanton), so he was the logical choice over Wily Mo Pena, who bats right-handed.

Drew’s absence forced manager Francona to do a little mixing and matching with his batting order. He moved first baseman Kevin Youkilis down from second to Drew’s No. 5 spot and elevated Coco Crisp from eighth to second. Hinske batted eighth.

Drew has been slumping, his skids at 0-for-11; 1-for-21, and 4-for-31, dropping his average from .375 to a season-low .278. Drew was held out of the starting lineup Sunday in New York to give him two days off in a row, counting Monday’s scheduled day off for the team.

M*A*S*H unit

The Red Sox may be catching Oakland at a good time. The A’s have six players on the disabled list right now, including three outfielders they had expected to play big roles this season.

Bobby Kielty was the latest to be placed on the DL, going on the list yesterday. He joined fellow outfielders Mark Kotsay and Milton Bradley. Wheaton College’s Chris Denorfia, another outfielder whom Oakland obtained recently from Cincinnati, already was on the DL. And Nick Swisher, another outfield candidate, is nursing a tight hamstring and was not in the starting lineup.

How desperate are the A’s for outfielders? The other day Oakland swung a deal with Atlanta for Ryan Langerhans, who was batting .068 — 3-for-44, with 1 double and 1 RBI in 20 games.

The A’s have two pitchers on the DL as well — Rich Harden and Esteban Loaiza.

smcadam@projo.com