Pomeranz lifted after throwing 97 pitches in just 4 innings

OAKLAND, Calif. — Chad Pinder hit a monster home run and Khris Davis and Mark Canha also connected in the fifth inning, and the Oakland Athletics cleared the fences four times in all to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Saturday for their third straight win.

Hanley Ramirez homered for Boston, which has lost three in a row.

Jed Lowrie had a solo shot in the sixth for Oakland, which leads the AL with 63 home runs.

A's manager Bob Melvin didn't see any of them in person after being ejected in the second inning.

While no official records are kept, the A's said Pinder's deep drive into the plaza reserved section is believed to be just the fourth home run to reach the second-deck seating level since it was built in 1996. San Francisco's Jarrett Parker had the last one in 2015 and Larry Walker did it for Colorado in 1999. Mark McGwire hit one that far against Cleveland in 1996.

Canha homered leading off the fifth against Ben Taylor (0-1). On Friday night, Canha connected in the 10th to give the A's a 3-2 win.

Sean Manaea (2-3) allowed two earned runs in five innings.

Dustin Pedroia's single in the fifth gave Boston a 3-2 lead. Taylor relieved Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz in the bottom half and the A's knocked him out before he retired a single batter, scoring five runs in all.

Melvin was ejected for the first time this year in the bottom of the second when he argued with third base umpire and crew chief Mike Winters.

Josh Phegley hit a swinging bunt RBI single that Boston catcher Christian Vazquez scooped up and threw wildly past first down the right field line.

Initially, Pinder also came home on the play and Phegley reached third, but the umpires conferred and each had to go back a base, enraging Melvin. Oakland then tied the game at 2.

Pomeranz labored through four innings against his former club, striking out six but throwing 97 pitches.

Pedroia owns a 23-game hitting streak against the A's, the longest active streak in baseball for one player against any single team.

Red Sox: 1B Mitch Moreland rested with Josh Rutledge playing first. Farrell hopes to get 2B Pedroia a break in Sunday's series finale so he has two full days off with no game Monday.

Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-1, 3.05 ERA) took a no-hit bid 7 2-3 innings in his lone start against Oakland last Sept. 4.

Athletics: RHPAndrew Triggs (5-2, 2.12) has gone two straight starts without surrendering a hit to a left-handed batter (0-for-17).