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. Wholesale Jordans Shoes Free Shipping . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Wholesale Jordans Shoes China . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. http://www.wholesalejordans.us/ . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Cheap Jordans For Sale Wholesale .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Wholesale Jordans Cheap .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. We have reached the month of December, the time when the best NFL teams begin pulling away from the pack, and to that end: Look out for the Baltimore Ravens.The Ravens have won four of their past five games and sit a game outside of first place in the AFC North?entering Monday nights showdown with the New England Patriots. While the Ravens made news earlier this season by changing offensive coordinators, and averaging 23.1 points per game since, the overriding force in their turnaround is a defense that in some aspects is challenging the historic 2000 group that led it to victory in Super Bowl XXXV.Largely unnoticed outside Baltimore, the Ravens defense is destroying opponents running games and hasnt been much worse against the pass. Lets take a closer look at the numbers, with a huge assist from ESPN Stats & Information senior statistics analyst Jacob Nitzberg, as well as some custom crunching from Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders.First, just for kicks, well look broadly at what the Ravens have done this season alongside numbers from that 2000 unit through 12 games.Comparing 2016?Ravens defense to 2000 unitPoints allowed are the most important statistic for any defense, and the Ravens are tied for No. 2 (with the Patriots) in the league this season. When comparing that to 2000, keep in mind NFL scoring efficiency has inflated over the past 16 years. In 2000, teams scored about two points fewer per game than they have scored this season.But lets drill down on the Ravens run defense in particular. It has allowed 101 fewer rushing yards than the next-closest team, the Dallas Cowboys,?and opponents have attempted 23 more carries against the unit. The Ravens 3.4 yards allowed per carry leads the NFL, and though it is a half-yard higher than what their 2000 defense gave up through 12 games, its important to consider that through a contextual prism.Football Outsiders DVOA statistic takes into account the strength of opponents, among other data points, to level out comparisons. According to Schatz, DVOA judges the Ravens 2016 opponents rushing games to be stronger than what the 2000 team faced, and thus, their run defense efficiency rating is actually better this season (-39.7 percent) than in 2000 (-36.9 percent). In fact, the 2016 Ravens have the best run defense DVOA in Footballl Outsiders 27-year dataset.dddddddddddd. Its also worth noting that the Ravens allowed an 85-yard rushing touchdown to Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell in Week 2. On their other 259 attempts, Ravens opponents are averaging 3.09 yards.Put simply, the Ravens havent allowed opponents to use their running games in ways they are used everywhere else in the league. (Note: The Titans, also listed below, rank second.)Rushing first downs allowed, 2016You cant have a strong run defense without good tackling, of course, and the Ravens have demonstrated that across the board. Linebacker Zach Orr?is tied for No. 4 in the NFL with 112 combined tackles, and the addition of free-agent safety Eric Weddle has added stability to the back end.The Ravens arent allowing opponents to tack on many extra yards, whether thats against the run or pass. They have allowed the NFLs fewest yards per attempt after contact on rushing plays and are also tackling receivers after the catch quicker than all but five NFL teams.Average yards allowed after first contactDont let the focus on tackling and the run game cloud any perceptions about the Ravens pass defense. When facing the Ravens, opponents have the NFLs third-lowest Total QBR (57.0), and in an era when quarterbacks are throwing fewer interceptions than ever, the Ravens have the leagues second-highest total.Team interceptions, 2016Opponents are averaging 9.53 yards per pass completion, the second-lowest total in the NFL. The Ravens have been particularly stingy on the deep ball, allowing the second-lowest completion percentage (32.5) on passes that travel at least 15 yards downfield.Put it all together, and the Ravens are making opponents earn their yards and points. They have allowed 67 explosive plays, defined as a run of 12-plus yards or a pass of 16-plus yards, four more than the NFL leader.Number of explosive plays allowed, 2016The 2016 Ravens defense probably wont find itself next to the 2000 unit in the history books. But this seasons edition of the Ravens defense is stronger than you probably realized and the biggest reason the team is poised to return to the playoffs in 2016.All numbers entering Week 14. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Authentic Cheap NHL Jerseys Canada Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Nike NHL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Football Jerseys Store Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Jerseys NCAA China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys ' ' '