Chicago ? Manny Ramirez is a tough enough out. Give him a second chance at the plate like the Chicago White Sox did Thursday night, and it can mean the difference between winning and losing.

On the first pitch after Chicago third baseman Joe Crede dropped his foul popup for an error, Ramirez homered in the ninth, sending the Boston Red Sox to a 6-5 victory and giving Curt Schilling his first win as a reliever since 1992.

“That was huge. This was a game of little things,” said Schilling, who blew the save when Crede hit a two-out, game-tying double in the eighth, then gained his first win since April 18, when he was a starter.

“A foul ball gets dropped, and that is the difference in the game,” Schilling said.

Crede couldn’t hang on to the high popup near the third-base stands when the ball drifted back toward the field. It ended his 49-game streak without an error and gave Ramirez another chance.

“With Manny, you just knew once Crede dropped that ball that Manny was going to do something special,” Boston’s Johnny Damon said.

Ramirez sent his 26th homer to left-center off Luis Vizcaino (4-4), and Boston had just its fourth victory in 10 games.

Boston's Manny Ramirez keeps his batting helmet in place as he rounds the bases after hitting a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning. Ramirez's homer gave the Reds Sox a 6-5 victory over the White Sox on Thursday night in Chicago.

Crede’s error was the third of the game for the White Sox, helping the Red Sox to three unearned runs.

“Our defense was not what we’ve played all year long. Joe has been playing good. It was not an easy play,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said.

Ramirez did not comment after the game.

Crede’s error couldn’t have come at a worse time for the White Sox, who have lost three straight, all at home.

“It’s a humbling feeling. You got to keep your head up,” Crede said.

“The people in the stands were looking like they were ready to grab for it. When I looked for the railing, I saw them getting ready to grab it, and all of a sudden it drifts back. But it’s a routine play I should make.”

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

“I’m incredibly disappointed. I forgot the feeling of letting down your starter and your team,” Schilling said after his fifth relief appearance. “That’s probably why I’m so upset about it. It’s an adjustment.”

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 – three earned – in six-plus innings.

In the seventh, 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 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.

Twins 10, Tigers 5

Detroit – Bret Boone and Michael Cuddyer each drove in two runs, Joe Mauer scored three times, and Minnesota beat Detroit.

The Tigers, who had won nine of 13, committed four errors and had three wild pitches and a balk to help Minnesota win its third straight.

Johan Santana (9-5) won his second consecutive start, giving up three runs and nine hits in five innings, matching his shortest outing of the season – done two other times. He threw two wild pitches.

Angels 6, Yankees 5

Anaheim, Calif. – Vladimir Guerrero broke out of his slump with a grand slam to rally Los Angeles past New York.

Guerrero’s towering shot greeted reliever Tom Gordon in the seventh and brought the Angels back from a 5-2 deficit.

The homer, only the fifth hit in 45 at-bats for last year’s AL MVP, came after Randy Johnson had held the Angels to two runs on four hits before leaving after the sixth inning.

Jason Giambi homered twice off Bartolo Colon, the second game in a row the Yankees’ first baseman hit a pair.

Athletics 6, Rangers 4

Arlington, Texas – Nick Swisher drove in three runs and scored another, and Jay Payton hit a slow chopper through the left side of the infield for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, sending Oakland past Texas.

Oakland overcame an early 3-0 deficit against Kenny Rogers – who might have been making his last start for a while – to win for the 19th time in 24 games. This was the fourth time the A’s beat the Rangers in five meetings since the All-Star break.

Blue Jays 6, Mariners 3

Toronto – Josh Towers won for just the second time in his last 12 starts, and Shea Hillenbrand hit a three-run homer as Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Seattle.