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ATLANTA -- Aaron Harang realizes his struggles in 2013 were a sign to some that he no longer could be a winning pitcher. Through eight starts in 2014, Harang is proving hes still on top of his game. Two days after his 36th birthday, Harang pitched six strong innings and, backed by home runs from Evan Gattis and Jason Heyward, led the Atlanta Braves to a 5-2 win and a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Harang (4-3) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks. He had nine strikeouts. He is one win shy of matching his total in 26 starts combined with Seattle and the Mets last year, and hes savoring his career revival. "It means a lot, just to get back out here and prove that I can still do this," Harang said. "I know there were probably a lot of people questioning that after last year. Ive been pitching well and guys are playing well behind me and were battling through games. Its been a lot of fun. Ive just got to keep it going." Harang, who was 5-12 with a career-worst 5.40 ERA last year, has a 2.98 ERA this season. The right-hander has allowed more than two earned runs in only one of his eight starts -- nine runs in a 9-3 loss at Miami on April 30. Ryan Kalish, Chris Coghlan and Welington Castillo each struck out twice against Harang. Overall, the Cubs finished with 14 strikeouts. "They have a young, aggressive team over there and I think I was able to take a little advantage of that, knowing how aggressive they are," Harang said. Gattis gave Atlanta a 3-2 lead with his homer off Edwin Jackson in the fourth inning. Heyward added to the lead with his first home run since April 9, a two-run drive off James Russell in the seventh that landed in the Braves bullpen beyond the right-field wall. "It felt like it was longer than that," Heyward said of his power drought. "I keep on showing up every day and trying to put up good at-bats and find good pitches to hit. If you try and do too much, thats when you start to compound things." Jackson (2-3) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks in six innings. "The two balls I got hurt on were balls up and over the middle," he said. "Balls that should be hit. Ive just got to do a better job of getting ahead in the count and working down." David Carpenter pitched the ninth for his second save. B.J. Upton made a sliding catch of Kalishs short fly in centre field to end it. Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel was rested after pitching two straight days. The NL East-leading Braves have recovered from seven straight losses by winning four of five. The Cubs, last in the NL Central, have dropped seven of eight. Ryan Doumit had a run-scoring single and Andrelton Simmons drove in a run with a double to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead in the second. The Cubs tied it in the fourth on Nate Schierholtzs two-run double. The Braves quickly reclaimed the lead when Gattis hit his eighth homer over the 380-foot sign in left field. Dan Uggla was hit by a pitch from Russell as a pinch-hitter to lead off the seventh. Uggla scored on Heywards third homer. NOTES: Jackson, who grew up in Georgia and lives in Atlanta, is 0-3 in eight career games, including six starts, against the Braves. ... Braves LF Justin Upton was held out after he sustained a bruised lower back muscle when he was hit by a pitch from Jeff Samardzija on Saturday night. Justin Upton said he hopes to play Monday in San Francisco. ... Atlanta 2B Tyler Pastornicky made his second consecutive start and was 0 for 4. ... The Braves begin a six-game road trip at the Giants with RHP Gavin Floyd facing RHP Tim Lincecum on Monday night. Lincecum beat the Braves on May 2. ... The Cubs open a four-game series in St. Louis on Monday night when LHP Travis Wood faces LHP Tyler Lyons. New England Patriots Store . The Asheville, N.C. native, who signed as a free agent with the CFL club last May, didnt see any action with Edmonton this season after opening the year on the injured list. New England Patriots Shirts . Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/.L. - Defending womens champion Alberta improved to 3-0 at the Canadian junior curling championships with a 10-3 win over Ontario in Sundays afternoon draw. Fake Patriots Jerseys . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. Stitched Patriots Jerseys . The motion to expand the stadiums capacity passed through by a count of 39-3, with Toronto mayor Rob Ford being among those in opposition. SAN FRANCISCO -- After a broken right ankle with Atlanta last year threatened to end his career, Tim Hudson has emerged as one of baseballs best and most surprising off-season additions. Hudson turned in another vintage performance to start this season, tossing seven innings to lead the San Francisco Giants past the Chicago Cubs 4-0 on Tuesday night. "I couldnt have asked for a better start to my season with a new team, new organization, new teammates," said Hudson, who signed a $23 million, two-year contract with the Giants in November. "I hope they dont think Im going to be this good all year." Hudson (5-2) allowed six hits, struck out five and walked none. The 38-year-old has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts, and he has pitched at least seven innings eight times. "Hes getting better with age," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Buster Posey drove in two runs, and Michael Morse and Pablo Sandoval singled home a run each to help the Giants (33-19) hold on to the best record in the majors. Jeremy Affeldt pitched a perfect eighth and Jean Machi pitched a perfect ninth to close out the Cubs, who will try again to win their first road series since last September in Wednesdays finale. Jake Arrieta (1-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one but got no support with Hudson on the mound. "Hes a buzz saw," Arrieta said. San Franciscos most reliable starter also might be its most unlikely. In a rotation that includes All-Stars Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner and two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, Hudson has a 1.92 ERA. San Francisco is 5-0 in Hudsons home starts and 7-2 overall. That includes a rain-suspended game in his last start at Colorado, when he allowed one run in three innings coming off a hip injury. Hudson joked that he tricks hitters with "smokee and mirrors" now before admitting that hes just learned to be a better pitcher at this point in his career.dddddddddddd He said hes relying more on scouting reports, location and pitching to contact than trying to overpower hitters. "From a command standpoint, this is probably the best Ive been," Hudson said. The three-time All-Star, who turns 39 in July, showed no signs of rust when he returned to the mound at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. Hudson retired the first eight batters until Arrieta grounded a single up the middle. He allowed two baseunners in the third and a one-out double to Mike Olt off the centre-field wall in the fifth but quickly induced two outs each time. "It was all Hudson. He did a great job," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. Hudson left to a standing ovation from the announced sellout crowd of 41,060 after getting pinch-hitter Chris Coghlan to ground out with a runner on first to end the seventh. San Francisco supplied all the runs Hudson needed in the first, when Angel Pagan singled and scored on Poseys sacrifice fly and Morse hit an RBI single. Posey hit another sacrifice fly to left with the bases loaded in the fifth before Sandovals bloop single extended San Franciscos lead to 4-0. Hudson handled the Cubs the rest of the way. "Hes had quite a career to this point," Bochy said. "Hes got a lot of baseball left." NOTES: Cain, who missed his last start with a strained right hamstring, will throw a bullpen session Wednesday and is expected to make his next start Saturday at St. Louis. ... Cubs reliever Wesley Wright was placed on the paternity leave list before the game, and Blake Parker was promoted from Triple-A Iowa. Parker allowed one hit in one inning of relief. ... Linececum (4-3, 4.55 ERA) starts for the Giants in the series finale Wednesday. The Cubs counter with RHP Edwin Jackson (3-4, 4.94 ERA). ' ' '