OAKLAND, Calif. -- With Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester holding down the front end of the rotation, the Chicago Cubs were already in good shape to make a playoff run in the fall.Kyle Hendricks is almost certain to be a big part of that as well, especially if he keeps pitching like he has the past three months.Hendricks added to his already impressive season with another strong outing, pitching into the eighth inning for his fifth win since June to help the Cubs beat the Oakland Athletics 3-1 Sunday and complete a three-game sweep.I think he can be effective any time, Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. The gun doesnt say a big number but after those changeups and the curve ... if he elevates at 90, I promise you, and you can see the reaction of the hitters, that 90 is a lot quicker than it reads on a scoreboard.Hendricks (11-7) was dominant against an As team that lost for the eighth time in nine games, 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.Hendricks lowered his ERA to 2.17, second-lowest in the majors among qualifiers behind the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw.When youre rolling like this you try to stay in that same mindset, keep doing your same work, Hendricks said. I just fell behind Semien 3-1 and said, `Here it is, and he hit it.Pedro 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.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.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.We couldnt do enough offensively to put any pressure on them, Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. We needed to score more runs to give (the starters) some help.LEAVING THEM ONThe Cubs missed numerous chances to break the game open. Wilson Contreras and Javier Baez struck out to end the second after Chicago put runners on the corners. The Cubs loaded the bases with no outs in the third but failed to score, then stranded three more runners on base in the eighth. Their pitcher escaped a lot of moments but he did have really good stuff, Maddon said. We had a chance to score many more runs than we did.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: 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. Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Russell Wilson Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. http://www.authentictexasrangersgear.com/rangers-tyson-ross-jersey/ . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Ivan Rodriguez Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Delino DeShields Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There is no longer a football team at San Francisco State, the Gators long ago having given up on the pricy sport in favor of investing in their other athletic programs.Andy Reid and Dirk Koetter will have to settle for Arrowhead Stadium for a reunion.The Chiefs coach and his Tampa Bay counterpart were both on Vic Rowens staff in 1985, trying to learn the ropes after their own playing days. They would reunite a couple years later at Texas-El Paso, and remained joined at the hip at Missouri, before their paths finally began to diverge.Reid headed for the NFL. Koetter stuck around the college game before making the leap.Hes one of the finest football coaches Ive ever been around. His dad might be the best, Reid said. We were little scrub buckets when we started off together, and we ended here, in Missouri, at the University of Missouri. I definitely saw him as a college coach and then, I figured if he got in the NFL, he would be the head coach there, too. Hes very, very good.Hell have to be at his best to figure out a way to outsmart Reid on Sunday.The Chiefs (7-2) have ripped off five straight wins to climb into a tie atop the AFC West, not to mention join the pursuit of the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Their defense has been downright dominant, their offense has done enough to get by, and the wins keep piling up.Andy is one of the best, if not the best coach, Ive ever been around, said Koetter, who seemed unsurprised by Reids success. His attention to detail, his ability to teach, the way he motivates guys -- it was a great blessing for me to be able to work with him like I did.Reids path after leaving Missouri took him to a successful run as an assistant in Green Bay, then his own 14-year run leading Philadelphia. But he seemed to be beaten down those last few years with the Eagles, and it took a move to Kansas City for him to feel rejuvenated.Koetter has had his share of bumps, too. He was a rising star after turning Boise State into a powerhouse, but fell into years of mediocrity leading Arizona State. Stints as offensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Atlanta and Tampa Bay earned him the Buccaneers top job.So far, Koetter also appears to be rejuvenated, too.He has Tampa Bay off to an encouraging 4-5 record after a dominant win over the Bears , and the franchise is now eyeing its first winning season since 2010.Im sure they think they can win the rest of theirr games, Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley said.ddddddddddddBut they cant do that without beating Kansas City. Here are some of the keys to the game:UNHEALTHY CHIEFS: Defensive tackle Jaye Howard has been dealing with a hip flexor, cornerback Marcus Peters with a hip pointer, linebacker Derrick Johnson with hamstring spasms, defensive tackle Dontari Poe with a sore knee, and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin with a groin strain.Its unclear whether any will be inactive Sunday.SPEAKING OF HEALTH: Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston could make his season debut against the Buccaneers. The four-time Pro Bowl selection had surgery to repair his left ACL in February, and was added to the roster last week, though he remained inactive for their game at Carolina.He was feeling pretty good last week, Reid said. Well just have to see.ON THE OTHER SIDE, TOO: Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin expects to carry more of the load this weekend. He returned from a hamstring injury that cost him nearly two months to run for 33 yards against the Bears, giving the Buccaneers a big emotional lift.Getting his confidence back, I think thats the No. 1 thing, Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. I think hell be able to build on that this week.SCRAMBLE, SCRAMBLE: Tampa Bays Jameis Winston and the Chiefs Alex Smith are both threats with their legs, though the Buccaneers do more with designed plays to get their quarterback into space.Hes good outside the pocket, Koetter said. He just has a real feel for that and is a guy that hes a got a rare quality where he will run with it, but hes always got his eyes down the field. A lot of times you find guys that dont want to run it and you find guys that dont want to throw it. Hes one of those guys that has a rare quality, he can do both.EYES ON PETERS: Quarterbacks have avoided Peters after he piled up five interceptions in the first five games. He hasnt had a pick in the past four, but a strip of Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin last week set up Kansas Citys winning field goal.Hes one of the best corners in the league. He has great eyes, Winston said. Hes able to cover his man and keep his eyes in the backfield. 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