Red Sox starter Erik Bedard lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his first outing since Sept. 3. (AP)

It was a lot to ask of the Red Sox bullpen. Even so, the Sox had the right pitchers lined up.

Because Erik Bedard was knocked out after recording just eight outs, the Sox would have to rely on their relievers for the final 19 outs of the contest. And for much of Tuesday, it appeared that the bullpen was up to the challenge.

Scott Atchison cruised through 2 1/3 shutout innings. Matt Albers held the Orioles scoreless in the sixth. That, in turn, positioned the Sox to ask their two best relievers to handle the final three innings with the Sox in possession of a 5-4 lead.

While the task might have seemed daunting, both Daniel Bard (who was pitching on two days’ rest) and Jonathan Papelbon (who had three days off after recording a save on Friday) were rested. But after Bard delivered a scoreless seventh, his outing — and the Sox’ night — unraveled in the eighth.

Bard allowed a pair of singles to put the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first with two outs. That, in turn, led the Sox to summon Papelbon for his first crack at a save of at least five outs since Sept. 1, 2009 (when he tossed two shutout innings against Tampa Bay).

But Papelbon — who entered the game with a 22-inning scoreless streak that was tied for the longest of his career, and a run of 25 straight save conversions, the longest run in his decorated career — could not hold the advantage. He allowed a sharp two-out single to load the bases and then permitted a bases-clearing double by Robert Andino.

On a night when the Sox could have pulled away from the Rays, who were in the process of losing to the Yankees in New York, they instead ran in place, as their 7-5 loss to the Orioles kept them up just two games in the wild card race. The Sox are now 5-15 in September as they sputter towards the finish line.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

–The greatest run of Papelbon’s career came to an end at an inopportune time for the Sox. Not only did his streaks of 22 straight scoreless innings and 25 straight converted saves get snapped, but he also gave up his first hit of the year with the bases loaded. The right-hander had struck out each of the seven opposing hitters he’d faced this year with the bases loaded.

–Bard suffered his fourth loss of September, matching the total number of defeats he’d endured in his first two big league seasons combined.

–Erik Bedard lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his first start since Sept. 3. The left-hander, who was sidelined by a sore knee and then a mild lat strain, could not record nine outs despite throwing 76 pitches, most notably during an interminable 51 pitch third inning.

That said, his pitch count was thrown out of whack when Josh Reddick dropped a fly ball to right with two outs in the third, a play that led to three unearned runs along with 18 additional pitches for the left-hander.

Even so, the fact that his command unraveled quickly (he issued back-to-back walks after Reddick’s error) may have been a reflection of rust from his layoff. So, too, might have been the fact that Bedard elicited just one swing and miss and didn’t strike out a batter, his first career start without a punchout.

Bedard finished having allowed four runs on five hits and two walks. His fastball averaged 90 mph and ranged from 88-93 mph, and he did show a good feel for his tremendous curveball.

–Josh Reddick had been nearly overwhelmed by a pregame clubhouse visit from 17-time wrestling champ Ric Flair. Perhaps the memorable event was too much for the right-fielder, who committed an error and struck out three times, his second most strikeouts ever in a game.

–David Ortiz lost ground in his quest to finish the year with more walks than strikeouts. He took one free pass and fanned twice while going 0-for-3, leaving him with 74 walks and 78 punchouts this year. It was just his second multi-strikeout game this month.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

–Adrian Gonzalez had his third straight multi-hit game, going 3-for-5 to improve to 8-for-12 with two doubles and a homer in the three-game series against the Orioles. While he is limited while running the bases and in the field by his injured calf, the first baseman does not seem to be suffering in the batter’s box.

–For the second time in his last 54 games, Dustin Pedroia had multiple extra-base hits. The second baseman went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of runs. He has now crossed the plate 100 times this year, the third time in four seasons that he’s reached that milestone.

–Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-for-4, but the single had historic ramifications. He collected his 200th hit of the season — the first time that Ellsbury has reached the milestone, in the process joining Adrian Gonzalez as just the third pair of Red Sox teammates to collect 200 or more hits in the same season — and also got a hit against the Orioles to extend his hitting streak to Baltimore to 32 games, the longest hitting streak ever against Baltimore, surpassing 31-game stretches by Hall of Famers Earl Averill and Jimmie Foxx.

–Mike Aviles continued his surprisingly productive stint as the Red Sox third baseman. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in three plate appearances. Since the Sox traded for him at the end of July, Aviles is hitting .353 with a .371 OBP and a .494 slugging mark.

–Matt Albers logged his third straight shutout appearance with a shutout sixth inning on Tuesday, continuing his season-long dominance against his former team, the Orioles. In five games this year against Baltimore, Albers has held the club that non-tendered him to an 0-for-18 mark with 10 strikeouts, one walk and one hit batter.

–Scott Atchison may be pitching his way into consideration for the postseason roster. The right-hander picked up his second win in as many nights, following a four-out appearance on Monday with a 2 1/3 shutout innings on Tuesday in relief of starter Erik Bedard. Atchison now has thrown 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his last three appearances.