Seth Smith hit a two-run homer, Stephen Drew hit a solo shot for his first clout since joining Oakland and the Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2 on Sunday for their season-best ninth straight win.

Brett Anderson (3-0) won his third straight start since returning from a 14-month absence to recover from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, a big boost for the AL wild-card leading A's down the stretch after losing Bartolo Colon to a 50-game suspension Aug. 22.

Josh Reddick added a sacrifice fly and Yoenis Cespedes drove in a run with a groundout as Oakland (76-57) moved into a tie with the New York Yankees for the second-best record in the American League behind the two-time reigning AL champion Texas Rangers (79-54).

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