CHICAGO (AP) – Manny Ramirez homered in the top of the ninth, one pitch after Chicago third baseman Joe Crede dropped his foul pop up for an error, and the Boston Red Sox beat the White Sox 6-5 on Thursday night.

Crede, whose RBI double with two outs off Curt Schilling (2-3) had tied the game in the eighth, couldn’t hang on to the high pop up near the third base stands and Ramirez got another chance.

He then sent his 26th homer to left center off Luis Vizcaino (4-4) and Boston had just its fourth win in the last 10 games.

The White Sox tied it in the eighth when Aaron Rowand doubled with one out, made third on an infield out and scored on Crede’s two-out double.

Schilling pitched the final two innings in his fifth relief appearance and got his first win since April 18, a game he started.

Boston took a 5-4 lead with two seventh-inning runs as Chicago second baseman Tadahito Iguchi made two errors on one play and Kevin Millar hit a sacrifice fly.

Boston starter Matt Clement gave up six hits and four runs, including three homers, in six innings, and Mike Timlin pitched the seventh before Schilling came on.

Chicago starter Mark Buehrle gave up 10 hits and five runs in six-plus innings.

In the seventh, Johnny Damon reached on an infield single to second, Edgar Renteria walked and David Ortiz hit a hard hopper than went off Iguchi’s glove for the first error.

Damon scored all the way from second with a hard slide and when Iguchi’s throw got by catcher A.J. Pierzynski for a second error, Renteria and Ortiz moved up.

Ramirez was intentionally walked to load the bases before Cliff Politte relieved Buehrle and struck out Jason Varitek. But Millar hit a fly ball to right to score Renteria. Ortiz was thrown out at third by right fielder Timo Perez on the play just after Renteria had crossed the plate.

Carl Everett hit his 14th homer, a two-run shot in the first that just cleared the center field fence, for a 2-0 lead. It came after Scott Podsednik singled leading off and then stole his major league-leading 49th base.

Paul Konerko and Rowand added solo shots in the fourth to give the White Sox a 4-1 lead. Konerko’s homer was his 22nd and Rowand’s his sixth and first since June 12.

Boston cut the lead to two in the fifth when Damon doubled and scored when Renteria’s long liner to center went off Rowand’s glove for another double. Moments after a high tight pitch, Ortiz punched an RBI single to left that ticked Crede’s glove and cut the lead to 4-3.

In the second, Varitek singled, Trot Nixon reached on an infield hit and Bill Mueller hit an RBI double. Nixon attempted to score from third on Tony Graffanino’s bouncer to short but Juan Uribe easily threw him out.

Notes: Clement has given up seven homers in his last three starts after yielding just six in his first 17 outings. … Buehrle was the sixth straight left-hander faced by the Red Sox, the first time that’s happened since 1914. … Buehrle has pitched at least six innings in 48 straight starts. … Perez walked after a 12-pitch at-bat against Clement in the sixth.

AP-ES-07-21-05 2325EDT

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