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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. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. http://www.stitchedwholesalejerseys.com/ . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Stitched Jerseys From China . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A trip to the desert didnt cool the Calgary Flames scorching power-play unit, and the penalty kill had a good night, too.Kris Versteeg put Calgary ahead with its third power-play goal of the game in the third period in a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.Versteeg and Troy Brouwer had a goal and assist each for Calgary, which had lost its last two games but has at least one power-play goal in its past eight contests. Calgary has 13 power-play goals in those eight games.The PP was good. Even on the times we didnt score, I thought we had some good looks, Versteeg said.T.J. Brodie put in an empty-net goal with a minute to play to complete the scoring. Mikael Backlund also scored and Matthew Tkachuk added two assists for Calgary.Christian Dvorak and Ryan White scored for Arizona, and Mike Smith had 24 saves.The Flames killed five Coyotes power plays, including a 5-on-3 late in the third period.Calgary took a 2-1 lead 20 seconds into the third period with Brouwers eighth goal of the season, but the Coyotes tied it at 9:07 when Whites long shot bounced off goalie Brian Elliotts leg pads and across the goal line.The Flames challenged the goal for offside, but it was upheld after review.Elliott, starting for the first time since Nov. 28, made 25 saves.The third was just all special teams. We had a little bit of everything in that game, Elliott said. The 5-on-3 kill, I think, was the story of the game.The Coyotes came out strong on offense and defense, taking 10 shots on goal before the Flames recorded their first. One of those was Dvoraks third goal of the season, when the 20-year-old center backhanded the puck into the net off a failed clearance by Elliott at 5:12.Josh Jooris got the assist when Elliotts try bounced off him to Dvorak in front. Jooris was making his home debut after being claimed off waivers on Dec. 11.Coyotes captain Shane Doan, still looking for his 400th NHL goal, had his shot saved by Elliott with 42.6 seconds left in the first after a turnover.The Coyotes managed just two shots on goal in the second period..dddddddddddd.Versteeg was helped off the ice by a trainer and taken to the locker room at 7:23 of the second after taking an elbow to the head from the Coyotes Jamie McGinn, who was given a two-minute penalty.I thought it was a little high, Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said of McGinns hit. The league will have to do what they do to see what they think.The resulting power play produced Calgarys first goal, with Backlund scoring his sixth of the season.Arizona had allowed just three power-play goals at home this season but surrendered three in six chances on Monday.We made some mistakes that put them on the power play, so thats the biggest one, Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. When you cant kill them, that complicates things a lot.Both teams delivered big hits in the first half of the second period, which brought about a fight between McGinn and Deryk Engelland. Both got five-minute penalties.Versteeg returned and assisted on Brouwers goal. Forward Johnny Gaudreau got off a pass to Brouwer for the assist just before being leveled by Alex Goligoski.Gaudreau was also taken to the locker room after being down on the ice for a few moments but returned to bench with less than three minutes gone in the third.Game notes The teams combined to serve 36 penalty minutes. ... Coyotes F Max Domi missed his sixth straight game due to a hand injury. ... D Kevin Connauton and D Anthony DeAngelo were scratched, as was F Brendan Perlini. Perlini had played the past eight games and DeAngelo the previous five. ... D Michael Stone played his 300th career NHL game. ... F Lance Bouma, C Freddie Hamilton and D Tyler Wotherspoon were scratched for the Flames. Wotherspoon was called up from Stockton of the AHL earlier Monday. ... F Garnet Hathaway returned to action after sitting out the past two games.UP NEXTFlames: Conclude a two-game swing Tuesday night in San Jose.Coyotes: Host Edmonton on Wednesday night, the second of five straight at home. ' ' '