ATLANTA -- Was this any way to start a game-saving rally? Let the record show that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, Boston's superstar sluggers, opened one of the most memorable innings of the season to date by the Red Sox by striking out.

Then, in most unlikely fashion, the supporting cast lifted the Red Sox off the mat in that top of the eighth and flattened the Braves, overturning a two-run deficit en route to a satisfying 10-7 victory on Sunday night that allowed the Sox to sweep this three-game set and complete the road trip with a 3-3 mark.

"Big for us, big for the road trip, big for the series," said pinch-hit hero Mike Lowell, who put the Sox ahead for good in this wildly swaying affair with a two-run double to right in the eighth. "It ended on a real good note."

All the buzz leading into the prime-time contest was the highly compelling pitching matchup of Curt Schilling and John Smoltz. But neither pitcher was around when the game was decided. Both were in line to get the wins at different times, only to see their respective bullpens let them down.

Schilling left with a 3-2 lead after six innings, but Manny Delcarmen (two-out single by Andruw Jones), Javy Lopez (walk to Brian McCann) and Rudy Seanez (three-run homer to Jeff Francoeur) gave it all back, and then some.

"It's no fun to give up a lead like that, but we don't pout, we go ahead and play," said manager Terry Francona. "Sometimes it pays off. There's no letup though, that's the good thing. The idea is that you just keep playing -- that's the biggest thing."

Or, in this case, just keep hitting. The Red Sox were simply not to be denied.

After those consecutive Ks by Ortiz and Ramirez, nine straight Boston batters reached base. Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek got things started with walks against Macay McBride. Coco Crisp then broke out of a 2-for-24 slump with an RBI single to center, trimming the deficit to one.

It's amazing how quickly a night off can turn into a game-winning hit. With the Red Sox down a lineup spot because of National League rules, it was Lowell's turn to take one for the team and sit out.

But with the Sox charging back, Francona went to the bench, having Lowell hit for Alex Gonzalez. The move paid huge dividends, with Lowell hammering a 3-2 pitch by Chad Paronto to right-center for a two-run double, suddenly giving the Sox the lead back -- this time for good -- at 6-5.

"For a guy that's playing every day to get a little bit of a blow and then be that ready, that says a lot -- not just about his swing but his character," said Francona.

It was a hit to savor for Lowell, who came in just 7-for-33 in his career as a pinch-hitter.

"In my opinion, it's the toughest job in baseball," he said. "You can get lucky once in a while, but those guys ... You get one shot at it. If the pitcher makes [his] pitch, you're sitting on an 0-for-1, and you feel miserable. You get a hit, you feel like you're on top of the world."

Even after Lowell's game-changing hit, Boston didn't relent. Pinch-hitter Alex Cora ripped an RBI single and Kevin Youkilis followed with a two-run homer to left, extending the bulge to four runs.

"It was great," said Nixon. "We had some great at-bats, we battled and picked Rudy up. It's all about picking each other up. You have to play until the end of the game."

And when the Red Sox have the lead toward the end of the game, they almost always win, thanks to Jonathan Papelbon. The dominant rookie closer (0.25 ERA) came through yet again, notching the final four outs for his 23rd save in 24 opportunities.

"You give it to him and he just keeps doing it. He won't do it [on Monday]," Francona said of the closer who worked in all three games of this series.

Schilling (eight hits, two runs, four Ks) threw 101 pitches over six innings, and Francona took him out of the game by sending J.T. Snow to pinch-hit in the top of the seventh.

"I was spent," Schilling said. "It was the first game I've thrown in three or four months in any kind of weather other than calm and chilly. When you're out there for long innings in this weather, you're really at a disadvantage. Those last couple of innings, I really had to stretch it out."

Ortiz gave Schilling a quick 1-0 lead, launching a solo homer to center with two outs in the first. It was No. 20 on the season for Ortiz, making the fifth consecutive year he's hit at least that many.

Schilling held that slight edge until the third, when the Braves began to take some solid cuts. Jones tied the game with an RBI single to left, and Francoeur gave the Braves their first lead with an RBI single to left. The inning could have been worse if not for a superb fielding play by Gonzalez, who was on his way to cover second when he had to change directions to grab a grounder by Edgar Renteria. He split down on one leg to field the ball, then fired a perfect throw to first, despite the fact that he was on the ground.

"Gonzo makes that play early in the game ... That changed the way that whole inning went," said Schilling.

Smoltz held on to the lead for all of two pitches, as Ramirez unloaded on a 2-0 offering and placed it deep into the seats in center field to tie the game. It was an abrupt end to an 0-for-18 drought for Ramirez, his longest since 1998. And the homer was No. 452 in his career, tying him with Sox icon Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Thome for 29th on the all-time list. Ramirez, at 34, is 10 years younger than Yaz was when he belted No. 452.

The Sox reclaimed the lead in the sixth, but not by as wide a margin as they could have. Smoltz walked the first three batters of the inning to load the bases with nobody out. Then he got a huge, 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Varitek. The only consolation of that DP for the Sox was that Ramirez crossed home with the go-ahead run. That lost opportunity would loom larger as the game progressed.

In the end, though, the exhausting evening was worthwhile for the visitors.

"It just didn't work out very well [at first], but we bounced right back with a vengeance," said Francona. "That's awesome. That's a loseable game, and it hurts, and it ends up being a great game."