They refuse to be left for dead.

The 2010 Red Sox have endured one of the more puzzling seasons in recent memory. They stumbled out of the blocks in a division that is unforgiving of struggles, they lost their leadoff hitter in the season’s first week, and the list of fallen players kept piling up.

An Opening Day starter. An All-Star starter having a breakout year. A former MVP. A middle-of-the-order catcher. Locusts.

Well, perhaps not locusts. But certainly, it would be understandable if there were games or stretches when the Sox had given up on the likelihood of contention.

Thursday’s bizarre, 13-inning, 8-6 victory over the Mariners in Seattle (recap) represented arguably the most dramatic example.

The Sox had an easy win in their grasp, thanks in no small measure to the near-no-hit stylings of John Lackey. Boston took a 6-1 lead into the ninth inning.

But the bullpen tandem of Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon — with significant help from the middle infield defense of Marco Scutaro and Bill Hall — allowed the M’s to come all the way back to score five runs and tie the game. It was a pendulum swing so violent that it seemed nearly impossible to imagine that the Sox could remain on their feet from its force.

Yet they withstood the momentum shift. And once again, an unlikely hero stepped into the fray to offer a key contribution, as Eric Patterson — who had been 3-for-25 in 2010 against left-handers — drilled a two-run double to left-center against left-hander Garret Olson.

The Sox thus avoided a potentially devastating loss, just as they have on a few occasions this year. Thursday’s win bore resemblance to two other memorable victories from the 2010 season:

• On May 18, the Sox owned a 19-20 record, were 8 1/2 games out of first place and were one night removed from the worst outing of Papelbon’s career, a four-run ninth inning that rendered meaningless a huge Sox comeback vs. the Yankees. Undeterred, the Sox rallied for six runs the next night in New York, and this time, Papelbon barely clung to the victory.
• On June 24, Papelbon — one night after blowing a save in Coors Field — again nearly spoiled an impressive performance by the Sox lineup, allowing a pair of ninth-inning runs to send what seemed a certain victory over the Rockies into extra innings. But Dustin Pedroia clubbed his third homer of the game to allow the Sox to avoid a sweep in Colorado.

Thursday’s game was on a par with those two. Had the Sox lost, certainly, a prevailing sense of hopelessness would have crept across New England. A loss to the last-place Mariners would have had the Sox five games out of the wild card and eight out of first place. But once again, the Sox showed that — regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not this year — they will not surrender to a fade.

That may not be enough — in 2006 the Sox claimed three walkoff wins in five injury-filled days in the moments surrounding the trade deadline. But that last flicker of hope was soon snuffed out, as the Sox went into an August tailspin, unable to withstand the numerous injuries that finally got the best of them.

It remains to be seen whether this year’s club can resist that fade. But Thursday’s win, which arrived as the trade deadline crossroads came closer into view, offered a reminder that it would be a mistake to count out a team that has shown remarkable resolve throughout this season.

Here are some other lessons from an ugly win:

So this was the pitcher whom the Red Sox thought they were signing to a five-year, $82.5 million deal.

It was a first half of mediocrity for starter John Lackey. He received top-of-the-rotation money and instead performed like a back-of-the-rotation pitcher. Lackey’s foremost contribution was innings, but he rarely exhibited an arsenal that suggested dominance.

It would be a bit premature to proclaim the big right-hander ready for liftoff, but in his first two starts of the second half, he has dazzled while dropping his ERA to 4.36, the lowest it's been since May 5. He followed up a seven-inning, two-run effort against the Rangers last Saturday (a no-decision) with what was easily his best outing as a member of the Sox.

Lackey came within four outs of a milestone, tossing 7 2/3 no-hit innings before ex-Sox catcher Josh Bard plunked a single to right field. Lackey ended up allowing two hits and giving up one unearned run in his eight innings while striking out six and walking one.

He showed a lively 93 mph fastball that he mixed with his best breaking ball of the season, a swing-and-miss curveball that frustrated Mariners hitters all night. Those pitches were accompanied by a nasty cutter and a useful changeup. The combination was unsettling to the Mariners, as Lackey retired 16 straight hitters between the third and eighth innings.
Lackey did not get the no-hitter, and amazingly, he was robbed even of the victory by the Sox’ ninth-inning bullpen meltdown.
“Definitely one of the weirdest no-decisions I've ever had,” Lackey told reporters after the game.

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All the same, for the first time with his new club, Lackey looked capable of delivering on the promise that brought him to Boston.

Bill Hall has become an important contributor, but he should not be on the field for defense in the late innings.

Hall had quite a Jekyll-and-Hyde game for the Sox. He clubbed a two-run homer against Ryan Rowland-Smith to give the Sox their initial lead. But he also committed two errors, raising questions about why — with two versatile bench options in Jed Lowrie and Eric Patterson, both of whom are more experienced second basemen — the Sox didn’t have a defensive replacement on the field in the ninth inning.

That question was brought into sharp relief on a potential game-ending double play. With the Sox leading 6-4 and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Papelbon elicited a potential double play ball to short. Hall received a flip from Scutaro but rushed his throw and misfired the relay to first, allowing the tying run to score.

Hall has been of significant value to the Red Sox given his ability to move around the field. That said, particularly given his limited experience at second base over the last five years, it would be tough to suggest that he looks natural at the position. On Thursday, that nearly cost the Sox the game, making it fair to wonder whether he will soon start giving way in the late innings to teammates.

The offense is still struggling to sustain a threat.

The Red Sox enjoyed their biggest offensive outburst of the second half. For the first time in eight games following the All-Star break, the Sox scored more than four runs.

Even so, starting in the eighth inning, the Sox endured a stretch in which they went 0-for-15 before their 13th-inning rally. They were overmatched by relievers Jamey Wright (5.06 ERA) and David Aardsma (4.88 ERA). Clearly, the offense remains a shell of what it was through the end of June.

Good luck figuring out the bullpen beyond Daniel Bard.

First things first: Papelbon actually had really good stuff on Thursday. He was able to employ his fastball, split and slider for swings and misses, and he easily could have recorded the save but for Hall’s fielding miscue. He struck out a pair. Opponents are hitting .200 against him, his lowest batting average against since 2007.

That said, he still allowed a key double and a walk to blow a save. The idea that the game is over when he enters a contest has taken a hit this year.

He is part of a baffling bullpen that, aside from Bard — who has extended his scoreless innings streak to 13 2/3, during which opponents are hitting .114 against him without a single extra-base hit — there are few certainties for manager Terry Francona in his bullpen.

Hideki Okajima was unexpectedly brilliant on Thursday, earning the win with a pair of shutout innings that included a huge escape from a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the 12th inning. It was his first multi-inning appearance in more than a month.

But Manny Delcarmen, who had shown flashes of promise (retiring all seven hitters he’d seen) since coming off the disabled list, regressed. He did not retire any of the four batters he faced, and he was responsible for allowing an easy victory to unravel.

Though the Sox salvaged a victory, Delcarmen’s struggles forced the team to lean on its entire bullpen, one night prior to Josh Beckett’s first big league start in more than two months.