On a night when the margin of error was almost nil, the relievers reached the margin without exceeding it. ``We didn't have a whole lot of ways to go,'' said Sox manager Terry Francona. ``Everyone was going to pretty much have an inning and just got to get them out, and they got them out. It wasn't always easy, but they got them out.''

Javier Lopez, who bore a disproportionate amount of blame Tuesday night when his bobble led to the winning Indians run, was thrown right back in the fire as the first reliever with the Red Sox trailing, 5-2, in the seventh. After Asdrubal Cabrera reached third base, Lopez retired Shin Soo Choo on a groundball.

That seemed like a 1-2-3 inning given how the eighth worked out. Manny Delcarmen, coming in after the Sox tied the game at 5, got the first two batters out. But he walked the next two, and then loaded the bases by plunking former minor league teammate Kelly Shoppach. Delcarmen wiggled out of the jam by retiring Grady Sizemore on a lineout.

After the game, Delcarmen, who has been battling a tight left hip flexor the last week, said that the experience helped his confidence.

``It's not the easiest position to be in, but Tito left me in there,'' said Delcarmen, who needed 31 pitches to extend his 0.00 ERA start to the season to 13 innings over 10 games. ``I threw a lot of pitches, but he just keeps building my confidence up by leaving me out there, so hopefully it will keep getting better.''

Hideki Okajima's turn came in the ninth, and he began by striking out No. 2 hitter Cabrera. Okajima walked two of the next three batters, but he caught Jhonny Peralta looking on a called third strike for the third out.

``It was difficult, that particular situation. I didn't want to give up a home run, that's all that I was thinking, `Keep the ball down, low and avoid the strike zone,' '' said Okajima via translator Jeff Yamaguchi. ``I walked the two hitters, but as a result I didn't want to throw a cookie over the plate.''

Jonathan Papelbon was called to protect the final winning margin, and his excitement included a one-out walk and subsequent steal by Ben Francisco before he finally struck out Grady Sizemore on his 19th pitch.

Tonight in Tampa, Francona can call on Ramon Ramirez, Takashi Saito and Hunter Jones. He will be hoping that Josh Beckett pitches deep enough he will not need all three.

- msilverman@bostonherald.com