BALTIMORE — How often do you see a runner at third fake a mad dash toward home plate, trying to get the opposing pitcher to balk?

And how often does it work? Almost never?

Boston’s Eric Hinske is Baltimore coach Tom Trebelhorn and umpire Laz Diaz as the benches emptied during the fourth inning after Orioles pitcher Daniel Cabrera threw a pitch behind the ear of Dustin Pedroia.

AP / Gail Burton

Well it worked for the Sox’ Coco Crisp in the fourth inning last night. Crisp’s fake of a steal of home caused Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera to balk, enabling Crisp to trot home with the run that put Boston ahead, 3-0.

And it led to a spirited bench-clearing gathering around home plate after Cabrera’s next pitch went behind Dustin Pedroia’s head.

Plate umpire Mike DiMuro quickly jumped out in front of the plate after the errant pitch and issued warnings to Cabrera, the Orioles’ bench and the Red Sox’ bench. The Sox, meanwhile, began spilling out of their dugout in anger at what they had just witnessed.

Third-base umpire Bill Welke tried to head them off at the pass and was successful in sending them back to the dugout until Cabrera engaged in a shouting match with members of the Sox and had to be restrained by teammates and umpires Laz Diaz, Wally Bell and DiMuro.

So the Sox piled back onto the field as Cabrera broke free of restraints, ran from the mound to the infield grass near third base, threw his glove and the ball to the turf and motioned for them to come and get him. As he was doing that, catcher Ramon Hernandez had to be restrained by, among others, the Sox’ David Ortiz, from getting at someone on the Sox, whose identity wasn’t clear in the confusion in front of the Boston dugout on the third-base side.

Players then rushed out of both bullpens, which, interestingly enough at Camden Yards, are basically on top of each other in center field, so they entered the scene together.

After the uprising was calmed down, and the relievers strolled back to their respective bullpens, side by side, the umpires had a meeting near the mound with Cabrera standing on the pitching rubber. Then they had an animated chat with Baltimore manager Dave Trembley, who clearly was unhappy with their decision that Cabrera would be ejected from the game, no doubt for breaking away from the pack and physically challenging the Sox.

The Sox had little sympathy for Cabrera. Indeed, they were downright upset with what Cabrera did, especially Crisp, who said that, while he and Cabrera are “not best boys,” he sometimes hangs out with the Orioles pitcher away from the field.

“That’s a situation that can be embarrassing (for the pitcher) who’s been in the big leagues. I don’t know any other reason he would do that,” said Crisp, who said he wasn’t just faking, that he almost did take off for home but stopped because of a misstep.

“He throws really hard. He’s one of the hardest throwers in the league. But even if you [want to hit someone], you can’t throw at somebody’s head. You could kill someone. That goes beyond being embarrassed. That could go to (criminal) court. I’m trying to help us win a game. That [fake dash] is part of the game,” said Crisp.

The Sox center fielder said Cabrera was staring at him as the players were milling around.

“He was looking at me like he wanted to do something to me. Who wants to fight? If I wanted to fight I would have stayed with boxing. Sometimes the game gets the best of you,” he said.

Pedroia, naturally, didn’t appreciate seeing a fastball from Cabrera, who was lighting up the radar gun at 93-98-mph, coming at his head.

“I don’t know what the deal was,” said Pedroia. “Everybody in the whole stadium thought that was pretty stupid.”

Francona tried to serve as a peace-maker on the field.

“I don’t think we escalated anything. I mean, we’re in the middle of a pennant race. We have more important things to worry about. Our focal point was to win.”

Trembley didn’t exactly come to his pitcher’s defense.

“I think he lost his cool. It’s my understanding he was upset at some of the comments that were being directed towards him,” said Trembley.

Cabrera, not surprisingly, said he has to pitch inside and the ball got away from him.

“I didn’t lose my temper. I didn’t lose nothing,” said Cabrera. “The ball slipped out of my hand. Then they started yelling at me from the bench, saying bad things.”

The Sox’ backup catcher Kevin Cash also was ejected from the game.

Mirabelli out for a while

Doug Mirabelli’s left hamstring, which he strained while running the bases in the third inning Thursday night, was “more tender than we were hoping,” said Francona yesterday before batting practice.

So Mirabelli, who had been making his first appearance since Aug. 17, when he suffered a right calf strain, will be out for a while. There is no timetable for his return.

Ramirez still on the mend

Manny Ramirez’s rehabilitation from an oblique strain continues to progress, Francona said, but it will continue in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., because the Sox’ left fielder has been given permission to go home for personal reasons. He was scheduled to depart from Boston yesterday and was expected to return to Boston tomorrow.

“He’s getting close to resuming baseball activities,” said Francona, who added that, as with Mirabelli, there is no timetable for Ramirez’s return to the lineup.

Moss is on first base

Brandon Moss, an outfielder in the Red Sox system, is going to play first base for Santiago in winter ball.

Francona said Moss, who was promoted from Pawtucket to Boston when the rosters expanded on Sept. 1, was willing to go to winter ball and willing to learn a new position, giving him more versatility. Francona was on the field at Camden Yards early yesterday afternoon with Moss, showing him various footwork and positioning aspects of playing the position as well as talking about the mental and physical aspects of being a first baseman.

Francona knows from experience. He had to make the switch from outfielder to first baseman during his professional career.

skrasner@projo.com