BOSTON (Ticker) -- In a different version of the Boston Marathon, the Cleveland Indians may have run the Red Sox out of contention for a spot in the postseason.

The Indians capitalized on a big sixth inning to capture the second game of a day-night doubleheader and push the Red Sox farther back in the wild card race with an 8-5 victory.

After squandering a 7-0 lead in the opener, the Indians scored six times in the sixth inning tonight to open an 8-1 advanatage. Boston tried to make things interesting by scoring four times in the final two innings.

"Certainly, the last two innings of that game showed we were not going to quit, just like in that first game when we were seven down," Boston manager Jimy Williams said. "But you have got to give credit to their bullpen, they got the outs they needed."

Cleveland took three of five from the Red Sox over the last three days to push Boston four games back in the wild card race. The Indians are tied with Oakland for the wild card.

"Anytime you take three out of five, put a little distance between you and the team you are chasing, you feel good," Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel said. "I think we all feel good right now."

The series had to be a small measure of revenge for the Indians, who lost the final three games to Boston in last season's American League Division Series.

Signed as a free agent in the offseason to win big games down the stretch and in October, Chuck Finley (14-11) did just that tonight. The veteran lefthander gave up three runs and nine hits in seven-plus innings, walking two and striking out five, in improving to 4-1 this month.

Travis Fryman had four hits, including a run-scoring single in the decisive sixth inning, and Roberto Alomar added three hits for Cleveland.

Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield (6-10) fell apart in the sixth and left after giving up six runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The knuckleballer walked one and struck out three.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Indians were sparked by some stellar defense.

With a runner on first and one out, Dante Bichette hit a hard smash up the middle that appeared headed for center field. But second baseman Alomar, a perennial Gold Glove winner, made a diving stop and flipped to Vizquel, who completed the brilliant double play.

"It's an instinct play. I was cheating a little bit up the middle," Alomar said. "From my back, I knew to throw it to a spot and Omar would be there. As it turns out, that helped us get to the sixth. Our offense really came through."

"Some great two-out hitting in that six-run inning, but certainly the play of the game was that double play to get us out of the fifth," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "Robbie and Omar have done it before, but that was a big play for us tonight."

Alomar also was the catalyst in the sixth, getting things started with a single. After a walk to Manny Ramirez, Wakefield retired the next two batters before Fryman delivered an RBI single to make it 3-1.

A throwing error by catcher Scott Hatteberg allowed Ramirez and Fryman to move into scoring position. Russell Branyan made the Red Sox pay for the mistake by lacing a two-run single to right field that ended Wakefield's night.

Hector Carrasco relieved and did not find things easier as Sandy Alomar doubled in a run. Kenny Lofton walked and Vizquel plated a run with a single to make it 7-1. Roberto Alomar's second hit of the inning, a single, capped the outburst.

"It's frustrating because in that inning, the sixth, I get Thome to fly out to left and strike out Segui, and then the wheels basically fall off," Wakefield said.

Finley got off to a slow start, allowing five runners to reach in the first two innings. But he settled down and allowed only three runnes over his final five frames.

"I knew it had happened in the first game when we were up seven runs and I knew we still had 18 out to get, so the focus was still there for me," Finley said. "No question, the play of the game was the double play. That gets us out of trouble right there. Instead of first and third and one out, we're out of the inning, and our bats took it from there."

Like they did in the first game, the Red Sox tried to overcome a big deficit. Bichette led off the eighth with his sixth homer and Manny Alexander singled to chase Finley.

Steve Karsay relieved and got pinch-hitter Bernard Gilkey to fly out. But Alexander stole second and scored on a single by Lou Merloni. Ricky Rincon relieved and walked rookie Israel Alcantara before getting Jason Varitek to ground out.

With two runners in scoring position and a chance to get closer, the Red Sox called on Carl Everett, who was involved in a verbal altercation with teammate Darren Lewis earlier in the day, to hit for Donnie Sadler. Paul Shuey came on for Rincon and struck out Everett to end the threat.

In the ninth, the Red Sox pushed across two runs on a groundout by Bichette and a single by Midre Cummings.

Perhaps inspired by their comeback in today's opener, the Red Sox grabbed the early lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Sadler.

Cleveland quickly responded in the third and took the lead on a two-run double by Lofton.