Red Sox tie record for runs before an out in an inning

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox tied a modern major league record with 12 runs in an inning before making an out and Tim Wakefield won his fourth straight decision, 13-3 over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night.

Jason Bay hit a three-run homer and an RBI double and four other batters had two-run hits in the sixth when the Red Sox obliterated a 2-1 deficit and broke the AL record of 11 runs before an out was recorded.

They did it all without three of their regulars. David Ortiz was scratched from the lineup with a stiff neck, Kevin Youkilis missed his third straight game with tightness in his left side and Jacoby Ellsbury sat out his second in a row with a tight right hamstring.

Boston had nine hits and three walks in the inning before Matt Herges retired Mike Lowell on a grounder to third, drawing cheers from the crowd. Then he struck out Rocco Baldelli and got J.D. Drew on a grounder to second.

The Red Sox tied the mark for games since 1900 set by the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 24, 1953. The Dodgers had 12 runs in the eighth inning of a 16-2 win at Philadelphia, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The previous AL record was set by the Detroit Tigers, who scored 11 runs in the sixth inning in a 19-1 win at the New York Yankees on June 17, 1925.

Wakefield (4-1) allowed two runs to score in the fifth on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Asdrubal Cabrera. Jeremy Sowers (0-1) gave up one run on four hits through five innings. But he left the game after allowing the first six batters to reach base in the sixth.

Wakefield has been Boston's steadiest starter but struggled with his control when he hit a batter in both the fourth and fifth and threw the wild pitch that brought home Luis Valbuena.

None of that mattered once the Red Sox started rounding the bases in the sixth.

Julio Lugo started the inning with a single, Dustin Pedroia walked and Bay doubled in the tying run. Lowell was walked intentionally and Baldelli singled in two runs, making it 4-2. Drew then walked and Masa Kobayashi replaced Sowers, who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday after starter Aaron Laffey was moved to the bullpen to help the Indians struggling relief corps.

But Kobayashi did even worse.

He allowed hits to all five batters he faced. Jeff Bailey doubled in two runs before Nick Green's infield single loaded the bases. George Kottaras then doubled home two more. Lugo's single reloaded the bases and Pedroia singled in two runs, making it 10-3 and chasing Kobayashi.

Then Bay, on a 3-1 pitch from Matt Herges, hit his eighth homer of the season to right-center field.

Notes: Boston is 16-5 in its last 21 games. ... Indians manager Eric Wedge gave CF Grady Sizemore the night off. It's "something we talked about three or four days ago," Wedge said. "It's a good day with (knuckleballer) Wakefield. It's right in the middle of a 17-day stretch" of games. ... Cleveland IF Tony Graffanino was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus.