OAKLAND, Calif. -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon thought Jorge Soler might get a jolt out of returning to the majors after spending two months recovering from a nagging hamstring injury, including a two-week stint in the minors.Boy, was Maddon right.Soler hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat after being activated off the disabled list, Jon Lester pitched seven strong innings, and Chicago beat the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on Friday night.Sometimes a guy just needs to show up and then he gets the adrenaline going on, and that was a big hit, Maddon said. I didnt think it was high enough to go out. It was out so quickly.Dexter Fowler also homered while Javier Baez added a two-run double to help Chicago win its fifth straight. The Cubs also improved to a major league-best 67-41.Lester (12-4) pitched for the As over the final two months of the 2014 season after getting traded from Boston. He returned to the Coliseum for the first time since then and faced a distinctly different Oakland team than the one he left.Any time youve been on the home side and come back as a visitor its different, said Lester, who had eight strikeouts, and allowed two runs on nine hits.I enjoyed pitching here. I wish it turned out a little different but I was with a good team and great fans. Its unbelievable to come here as a home player as opposed to a visitor.Soler, out since June 6 with a hamstring injury, celebrated his return to the majors with his home run in the first inning off As starter Dillon Overton (1-3).That capped a four-run burst by the Cubs that included Fowlers fifth game-opening home run this season.Soler also reached on a fielders choice and scored on Baezs double in the third. Jason Heyward added an RBI single in the inning to help extend Chicagos lead to 7-0.I wasnt feeling any pressure, I just wanted to put a good swing on the ball, Soler said through an interpreter. I was a little bit frustrated being out at least two months but I just wanted to keep the positive attitude and come here and try to do my best.Brett Eibner, called up from the minors earlier in the day, homered against Lester leading off the sixth for Oakland. Marcus Semien added an RBI single.ROOKIE ROUGHED UPOverton allowed seven runs in three innings but suffered his third consecutive loss. The rookie left-hander is winless since beating the Los Angeles Angels in his major league debut June 25. Believe it or not I was actually hitting my spots better tonight, Overton said. They were just hitting everything I threw. Youre going to have days like that You just have to work with it and keep grounded.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: Maddon said the plan is to ease Soler back in and get him some defensive work in the outfield before the team faces another NL team on Aug. 11. ... RHP Joe Nathan was designated for assignment. The 41-year-old was 1-0 in three appearances with the Chicago.Athletics: Jed Lowrie was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a bunion on his left foot. ... RHP Jesse Hahn also went on the DL with a strained right shoulder. ... RHP Andrew Triggs was called back up from Triple-A Nashville along with Eibner.UP NEXTCubs: RHP Jake Arrieta (12-5) pitches the middle game of the series at the Coliseum. The Chicago ace has lost three straight decisions.Athetics: RHP Sonny Gray (5-10) has won only twice in 11 starts since coming off the disabled list. Gray has a 5.57 ERA over that span. Allen Craig Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Freddy Galvis Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. http://www.padresrookiestore.com/Padres-Austin-Hedges-Kids-Jersey/ . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Randy Jones Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Tony Gwynn Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. The all-consuming nature of working with racehorses got a little bit harder for trainer David Pfieffer when his second child decided to arrive the night before his stable star faced her toughest test.Pfieffers partner Lizzie gave birth to their son on the eve of the Myer Classic in which Denmagic put in a career-best effort to finish third in the Group One race at Flemington.The addition to their family prevented the proud father-of-two travelling to Melbourne and did nothing to lighten his workload.Its been hectic lately. Its been a hard slog, Pfieffer said.I had my foreman in Melbourne looking after Denmagic so Ive had a fair bit to do in the barn as well as stay on top of everything.But the hard work has been paying off.Aside from Denmagics gallant performances in Victoria which also netted two Group Two fourths, Ziggie Willie won the $80,000 feature at Canterbury on Friday night and the stable has Dixie Chick and Chestnut Road set to race at Rosehill on Saturday.Pfieffer is leaning towards the the fillies and mares benchmark handicap over 1400m, rather than the 1200m race for Dixie Chick.Dixie Chick was strong first-up when she flashed home late to grab second at Warwick Farm on September 21, but haas encountered bad luck in two unplaced Saturday runs since.ddddddddddddI think shes a horse that will probably be contending at stakes level, Pfieffer said.She probably deserves to have a few more wins next to her name.Pfieffer has booked Tye Angland for the 1400m race, while Tim Clark is on stand-by to ride if she starts over the shorter course.Youd like to think shell be a bit closer settling in the run and still have that great turn of foot at the end, Pfieffer said.Seven-year-old stablemate Chestnut Road, whose career has been restricted by injury, is entered in the colts, geldings and entires benchmark handicap over 1400m.Hes a horse that is better suited when hes on top of the ground as opposed to most horses who have had issues, Pfieffer said.Meanwhile Denmagic has gone to the paddock, with Pfieffer nominating the Coolmore Classic, Queen Of The Turf and the Doncaster Mile as potential Group One targets.One of her Melbourne fourths was in the Group Two Matriarch Stakes (2000m) on November 5, but Pfieffer said she was likely to race between 1200 and 1600m during autumn. 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