Kritik und Anregungen » oked a little fun at the now-infamous openin

SAN DIEGO -- Kyle Hendricks has another weapon, although its not a pitch.It was on display when the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 6-3 to complete a three-game sweep on Wednesday.Its confidence, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. The biggest thing from last year to this year is the confidence thing. I think he believes he is one of the best right now.Hendricks, the major league ERA leader, pitched six effective innings to pace the Cubs.Maybe he wasnt as sharp as usual, but he was really good, Maddon said.Hendricks (12-7) gave up two runs and four hits, striking out eight and leaving with a 2.19 ERA. He has allowed no more than three earned runs in 17 straight starts.Over that span, Hendricks has pitched to a 1.70 ERA.Today I had some bad at the beginning and some good at the end, he said. I had both ends of the spectrum there.At the beginning my command was a little off. I finally started getting the ball down and found the movement on my two-seamer and started spotting that better. I was on a roll from there.Three Cubs relievers took over for the NL Central leaders, with Aroldis Chapman pitching the ninth for his 29th save in 32 chances.I knew (Hendricks) was going to be really good this year but he has taken it to another level, Maddon said.Willson Contreras homered and Ben Zobrist drove in two runs as the Cubs won for the 22nd time in 27 games. At 81-45, they are 36 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 1945 season at 98-56.That was really loud, Maddon said of Contreras blast. You knew that was a home run when he hit it.The Padres have dropped nine of their past 12. Paul Clemens (2-3) took the loss.Jorge Soler and Addison Russell also drove in runs for the Cubs as they scored at least three runs for the 23rd consecutive game, second this season only to the Baltimore Orioles (28).Ryan Schimpf tripled and doubled for the Padres.The Cubs started fast when Dexter Fowler led off the game with a double and Kris Bryant nearly launched his third homer of the series. Instead, his drive hit the top of the wall and ended up being a long single.Kris Bryant is a tough hitter, Padres manager Andy Green said. Some guys have lanes you can pitch through, some hitters have small little holes. Kris Bryant has small holes.Zobrist then hit a two-run triple and scored on Solers sacrifice fly.Thats been the story of the last two outings, that first inning, Clemens said. Maybe I just got to wind myself up more in the bullpen.Maddon said jumping ahead was a key.We came out nicely in the first inning and that gave us the edge, he said. And Kyle ran with it from there.UP NEXTCubs: LHP Mike Montgomery (1-1, 2.77) starts Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. He makes his second start for the Cubs, after taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies.Padres: RHP Jarred Cosart (0-1, 4.54) opens Fridays three-game set at Miami. He was traded from the Marlins to San Diego last month.Curtis Samuel Panthers Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Carolina Panthers Jerseys . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. http://www.shoppanthersonline.us/panthers-greg-olsen-blue-jersey/ . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Donte Jackson Youth Jersey . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Ryan Kalil Jersey . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate.SEATTLE -- Football coaches at a Seattle high school joined their players in taking a knee during the national anthem, following the lead of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick to protest social injustice.The entire Garfield High School football team and its coaching staff knelt during The Star-Spangled Banner before the Friday kickoff against West Seattle High School in Seattle. Several players from the other team also knelt.Joey Thomas, Garfield Highs head coach, told Seattle mmedia outlets his players have encountered either police brutality or racial profiling.dddddddddddd He said his team wont have to kneel once people start addressing racial injustice.Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback, gained national attention when he refused to stand for the anthem before an NFL preseason game earlier this year. ' ' '