OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kyle Hendricks pitched into the eighth inning for his fifth win since June and the Chicago Cubs beat the Oakland Athletics 3-1 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.Kris Bryant and Jorge Soler both homered off As starter Sean Manaea (3-7). Bryants home run was his 27th this season, one more than the two-time All-Star had in 2015 when he was the NLs rookie of the year.The Cubs seventh straight win improved them to a major league-best 69-41 and marked their 10th series sweep this season. That topped their mark from a year ago, and increased their lead in the NL Central to 11 1/2 games over St. Louis.Hendricks (11-7) was dominant against an As team that had dropped seven of eight going into the day. Chicagos right-hander allowed three hits over 7 1/3 innings, struck out four and retired 17 straight before Marcus Semiens one-out home run in the eighth.Hendrick lowered his ERA to 2.17, second-lowest in the majors among qualifiers behind the Dodgers Clayton KershawPedro Strop retired two batters and Aroldis Champan pitched the ninth for his third save since arriving in a trade from the New York Yankees on July 25.Bryant and Soler finished with two hits apiece for the Cubs. Bryant homered leading off the sixth while Soler -- who homered in the series-opener Friday after being activated from the disabled list earlier in the day -- hit his seventh home run this season leading off the seventh.Anthony Rizzo added an RBI double in the eighth.The As had not scored in 19 consecutive innings before Semien hit his 23rd home of the year, a towering solo shot that ended Hendricks day.Menaea bounced back from a rough outing against the Angels but remained winless since June 29. The rookie left-hander allowed two runs over six-plus innings, struck out four and walked two.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: Jorge Soler handled the DH duties in all three games against the As but that will change when Chicago opens a two-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. Soler will be back in the outfield, most likely in left where he has started 34 games this season.Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray was placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. Its the second stint on the DL for Gray, who was pulled from his start against the Cubs on Saturday after only five innings. ... Chris Smith, a right-handed reliever, was called up from Triple-A Nashville to replace Gray on the roster.UP NEXTCubs: RHP John Lackey (8-7) pitches the opener against the Angels. Lackey has one win in his last two starts after a five-game losing streak.Athletics: RHP Kendall Graveman (7-7) faces the Orioles on Monday at the Coliseum. 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Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Larry Bird Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Authentic Celtics Jerseys . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. PITTSBURGH -- The cartilage in Ben Roethlisbergers aching left knee is repaired.And while the Pittsburgh Steelers are optimistic their franchise quarterback will return sooner rather than later after tweaking the knee in the second quarter of a miserable loss in Miami on Sunday, the odds of Roethlisberger being ready for a visit from Tom Brady and the New England Patriots six days removed from the operating table is remote.Roethlisberger rested at home Monday after undergoing arthroscopic surgery and Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said the team is confident Roethlisberger wont be out long term.But Roethlisbergers teammates began rallying around their backup now facing the most daunting task of his uneven career.Your turn, Landry Jones. Again.Im going to prepare like Ive done in the past and well see what happens, Jones said.Any chance Pittsburgh (4-2) has of hanging in there against the surging Patriots (5-1) depends on it. Taken in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, the former Oklahoma star has made two career starts, both last season.The Steelers went 1-1 in those games, though the victory comes with an asterisk because he left early with an ankle injury and Roethlisberger came on to guide a blowout of Cleveland.Jones was more effective in relief, leading Pittsburgh by Arizona and Oakland when injuries forced Roethlisberger and Michael Vick out of the lineup.Given a full week to prepare for the Patriots, Jones believes offensive coordinator Todd Haley doesnt have to make portions of the playbook off limits to thrive.I felt like I had it last year, Jones said. We didnt change much as all of what we were doing. I expect it to be kind of the same this year.Jones has taken just a handful of snaps this season and threw one incompletion while briefly spelling Roethlisberger in Miami.Hes completed 32 of 56 for 513 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions in 11 appearances and played extensively with the first team during a preseason in which Roethlisberger made just a token appearance.Practice is so different from games, you never know what youre going to get from a guy until you go into the game, Jones said. Last year I performed pretty well in most of the siituations so I feel like I have the confidence of the guys.ddddddddddddIf the Steelers want to have any hope of keeping up with the Patriots, they dont really have a choice. Several times over the past three years, Jones has seemingly found his roster spot in jeopardy only to survive and -- in very limited instances -- thrive.This guy is a really good college player and now he has the tools around to get the job done, guard Ramon Foster said. Me knowing him, hes going to be a guy that makes sure his success is on the front page.The start also comes at a critical time for Jones, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.With Roethlisberger locked up for the rest of the decade, any chance to be in the mix as a legitimate starter will have to come elsewhere. Not that Jones is concerned with his future at the moment. Figuring out the Patriots is hard enough.Jones teammates understand asking Jones to do his best Roethlisberger impersonation is unfair.Hes not as capable as Ben is, running back LeVeon Bell said. Bens been a longtime starter, been in the league for a long time at a high level. Weve got to get (Jones) to the point where hes confident and he feels like he can do no wrong. Thats when he can be striking.Not that its all on Jones. Pittsburghs ugly trip to South Florida included allowing a running back to go over 200 yards rushing for the first time in 16 years and failing to put much pressure on quarterback Ryan Tannehill.Weve just got to be better period, Foster said. Weve got to be the same team every week.Game notes Tight end Ladarius Green, who has spent the season on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from ankle surgery and other health issues, hopes to return to practice this week. ... DE Cam Heyward is unsure if hell be able to return after missing the first game of his career against Miami with a hamstring injury. Heyward said any decision wont be made until much later in the week.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '