Oakland, CA (Best E Casino) - Frank Thomas went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead the Oakland Athletics past the Boston Red Sox, 8-3, in the opener of a three-game set.

Mark Ellis added a three-run homer for the A's, who have won two in a row, but are just 3-7 over the last 10 games. Jack Cust had an RBI and scored twice.

Rich Harden (3-0) got the win as he went six strong innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out eight and walking only three batters.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI for Boston, which saw its seven-game win streak halted. Dustin Pedroia added a solo homer for the Sox. J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo both scored once in defeat.

Tim Wakefield (3-3) absorbed the loss after he was touched for eight runs on eight hits in five-plus frames.

The A's got on the board in the first. Bobby Crosby hit a double to left and scored when Cust singled up the middle. Thomas followed with a homer over the fence in left field.

Oakland was at it again in the third. Cust drew a walk and Thomas followed with a single. After a passed ball, Ryan Sweeney then singled to right, scoring Cust. Emil Brown struck out, but Ellis deposited a knuckleball beyond the wall in left, and it was 7-0.

Pedroia homered in the fourth, and the Sox put another run on the board in the fifth inning. Drew led off with a double, but Lugo and Kevin Cash both went down swinging. Ellsbury slugged an RBI single to left to make it 7-2.

Red Sox batting coach Dave Magadan was ejected by plate umpire Tim Tschida in the top of the sixth. Magadan began shouting obscenities at Tschida from the dugout after Drew broke his bat and requested extra time to lather his new bat with pine tar. The hitting instructor took exception when Tschida responded to Drew's plea with "move it along."

Oakland went up 8-2 as Daric Barton led off the home sixth with a walk, and it was second and third when Kurt Suzuki followed with a double. David Aardsma then came on in relief of Wakefield and retired Jack Hannahan, but Crosby lofted a sacrifice fly to center.

Joey Devine took the hill for the A's in the seventh and gave up a lead-off single to Lugo, who took second on a throwing error by Hannahan. An Ellsbury single scored Lugo, and brought the Sox within 8-3.

Huston Street took the hill in the ninth to close it out and got Kevin Youkilis to go down swinging. Drew was caught looking at a third strike and Lugo hit into a groundout to end it.

Game Notes

The Red Sox's seven-game win streak was the club's longest since ripping off 12 straight from June 16-29, 2006...Boston swept a two-game series from the A's at the Coliseum in early April after the teams each won once during the season-opening set in Japan from March 25-26. The Red Sox are just 6-10 in Oakland since the start of the 2005 campaign, however.