CLEVELAND — The Indians’ bullpen has been a disaster all season, so why would Thursday night be any different?

Rafael Perez and Edward Mujica were the latest culprits, allowing eight different Baltimore players to score runs in the eighth inning and turning a tie game into an eventual 11-6 Orioles victory.

Perez (2-3) gave up four runs — three earned — without recording an out, while Mujica surrendered four more runs on three walks and three hits.

“Perez was up and he didn’t have it tonight,” Tribe manager Eric Wedge said. “Mujica obviously struggled as well.

“Really, we didn’t play well at all. Multiple areas of our ballclub didn’t play well. We made errors and had some tough plays in the field in addition to what happened out there in the eighth.”

But even in a season full of late-inning meltdowns, this one was a doozy as Baltimore sent 13 men to the plate — and first baseman Kevin Millar and left fielder Lou Montanez each had two hits and two RBIs — in the fateful inning.

“You usually don’t see guys get two hits in an inning,” Millar admitted. “It felt good to be on that end of it. We have a lot of guys that can do things in this lineup.”

The Orioles’ eight runs in the inning were the most allowed by Cleveland in 2008 and made a winner out of ex-Indians pitcher Fernando Cabrera (1-1), who worked a scoreless seventh.

Adding injury to insult, the Tribe lost shortstop Jhonny Peralta to a left hand contusion. He was hit by a Daniel Cabrera pitch in the third, but didn’t leave until four innings later to undergo X-rays, which were negative.

Long forgotten by the end of the evening was the Indians debut of left-hander Zach Jackson, who was acquired in the CC Sabathia trade with Milwaukee. He was shaky throughout a five-inning stint, allowing eight hits, three runs, a walk and a wild pitch.

“I definitely had some jitters, but you try to get rid of them as quick as possible,” said Jackson, who left the game trailing 3-2. “I gave us a chance to win and that’s my job. I do wish I could have gonna a little bit deeper in the game, though.”

Baltimore righty Daniel Cabrera gave up eight hits and three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two, hit two batters and threw a wild pitch, increasing his American League-leading totals in all three categories.

Millar, Montanez and third baseman Melvin Mora each had three hits for the Orioles, who banged out six doubles.

Trailing 11-3 entering the ninth, the Tribe made some noise with three runs off Alberto Castillo. Franklin Gutierrez led off with his sixth homer of the year and Kelly Shoppach and Ryan Garko added run-scoring hits.

It was far too little, too late, though as Cleveland fell to 54-66 and the Orioles improved to 58-62. Ben Francisco, Shin-Soo Choo, Garko, Shoppach and Asdrubal Cabrera collected two hits apiece for the Indians. Both of Choo’s hits were doubles.

The game started with a bang as Baltimore took a 2-0 lead in the first via a double by Mora, an RBI single by Ramon Hernandez and an error by Asdrubal Cabrera. The damage could have been worse as Jackson got out of the jam after allowing the first five Orioles to get aboard.

The Tribe tied it up in the bottom of the inning when Choo ripped a two-run double high off the left field wall, scoring Grady Sizemore and Francisco.

It stayed 2-2 until the fifth, when Baltimore went in front on back-to-back ground-rule doubles by Hernandez and Millar. The latter hit was bizarre as center fielder Sizemore and right fielder Choo lost the ball in the lights and it dropped between them.

“They just didn’t see it,” Wedge said. “It was right about twilight, so they didn’t see it.”

Jackson added, “That’s baseball. Those things happen.”

Sizemore, who was hit squarely on the right knee by a Cabrera fastball in the second, reached base four times. In addition to the HBP, he walked twice and singled.

The Indians tied the score at 3-3 with two out in the sixth when Asdrubal Cabrera doubled off the base of the wall, scoring Shoppach. They subsequently loaded the bases, but pinch hitter Gutierrez struck out against reliever Rocky Cherry.

Cleveland stranded 12 runners, while the Orioles left 11 on base.

Contact Brian Dulik at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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