of times in his career for illegal hits, includin

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. He has been Oaklands most consistent pitcher over the past two months, with six wins in his previous 12 starts.Joe Theismann Redskins Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Sammy Baugh Youth Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.redskinsfansproshop.com/Redskins+DaRon+Payne+Rush+Jersey.html?cat=1346 . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Dexter Manley Youth Jersey . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Bryce Love Redskins Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries.The Atlanta Falcons?signed free-agent safety Dashon Goldson?on Sunday, calling the pickup a depth move.After Goldson worked out for the Falcons on Saturday, coach Dan Quinn made it clear the veteran safety would have to accept a backup role if he signs.Weve been very clear about what were looking for, general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. [Goldson] knows what his role is going to be for us, and thats very important.The organization speaks for itself, Goldson said after suiting up for Sundays practice. A lot of things that Coach Quinn is doing here played a part of it. Definitely the talent that we have here, on offense and defense -- especially on defense because Im on the defensive side of the ball. And I see a good opportunity here as far as we have some talent and if we put it all together, it could be something special.Goldson didnt seem too concerned about playing a reserve role.Im here to play football at the end of the day, he said. Im not looking for positioning. I just go out there, and my game speak for itself. And the coaches have got to make their decisions.The Falcons will be without rookie starting strong safety Keanu Neal, their 2016 first-round pick, for at least the first two regular-season games with a right knee injury. Neal is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on Monday.Backup safety?Kemal Ishmael will fill in for Neal, Quinn said. Ishmael has missed the past two preseason games with a shoulder injury, but he could be back for Thursday nights final preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars?and should be ready for Week 1.The Falcons need depth at strong safety, with unproven Damian Parms and Sharrod Neasman also on the 75-man roster behind Neal and Ishmael. The Falcons released veteran safety Sergio Brown on Saturday following a brief stint.I like the physicallity, Quinn said of Goldson after his workout.dddddddddddd [Neal] is our guy, so we told Dashon that as well. And [Neal] will be back shortly. But [Goldson] did a really good job today, just moving around and his approach. You can really tell, even in a short interaction, what he stands for as a ballplayer.Dimitroff echoed Quinns thoughts on Goldsons physicality. ?Goldson looked good. He moved around well, Dimitroff said. He came in at a solid weight. Hes a big guy, as you know, whos rangy and can move around athletically for a guy who can play both strong and free [safety]. Obviously in our situation, hes more of a strong safety with this team.Goldson, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and turns 32 in September, was released by the Washington Redskins on March 7. Washington saved $8 million on its salary cap with the move.Goldson started 15 regular-season games for the Redskins in 2015, as well as their playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. He finished with a career-best 110 tackles last season, his first with the Redskins.Washington obtained Goldson in a trade last spring from Tampa Bay, where he spent two seasons. Goldson earned two Pro Bowl berths in six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.Goldson has been fined a number of times in his career for illegal hits, including three times in 2013. He was suspended one game for a helmet-to-helmet hit early in the 2013 season, though it was later reduced to a $100,000 fine. Another hit drew a one-game suspension, costing him $264,705. After a third incident, he received a $60,000 fine. He did not receive a fine in 2015.ESPNs Vaughn McClure and John Keim and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '