a 3.87 ERA in 44 appearances this year. TRA

HOUSTON -- After a tough June where Justin Upton has hit under .200, the Atlanta Braves hope the last two games are an indication that hell get back to where he was earlier this season. Upton homered for the second straight game and drove in three runs and Alex Wood pitched seven scoreless innings to help the Braves to a 4-0 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night. "When he gets hot like this its really, really something to watch," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Hopefully this is the beginning of one of those big runs that he can give us." Upton is hitting just .185 this month, but his average for the season is .272 after a great start to the year. "Im seeing the ball and hitting it, thats about it," Upton said. "Ive gotten some good pitches to hit and Ive put good swings on them." Shae Simmons and Juan Jaime finished the three-hitter as the Astros were shut out for the 10th time this season. The Braves had just two hits when Upton launched his 16th homer, a two-run shot into the bullpen in right-centre, to make it 3-0 in the seventh inning. Collin McHugh (4-6) had plunked Jason Heyward to set up things for Upton. Upton drove in Atlantas first run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning. He joked that Wood owed him a treat of some kind for providing most of the offence in the win. "Just maybe get an ice cream cone or something," Upton said with a laugh. "Theyve got some good ice cream in there, at least get a scoop of ice cream." Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman left in the eighth after being hit by a pitch on what appeared to be his right elbow. He was examined by a doctor and said he was fine and hoped the swelling wasnt too bad on Thursday so he could play. Wood (6-6) was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his first start since May 4 after appearing in 11 games out of the bullpen in his last stint with the Braves. He allowed three hits and struck out four with one walk. "He did a nice job," Gonzalez said. "Mixed all his pitches ... his breaking ball, his fastball, threw some nice change ups." Gonzalez was encouraged by Woods performance in filling in for Gavin Floyd, who had surgery this week after breaking a bone in his throwing elbow. Simmons and Jaime struck out two apiece in a hitless inning apiece. McHugh struck out nine in his third straight loss. "He made a mistake to a really good hitter, and he didnt miss it," manager Bo Porter said of Uptons homer. "But outside of that one pitch, I feel like he was in complete control of the game the entire time." B.J. Upton doubled and took third on a balk before scoring on a groundout by Tommy La Stella to push Atlantas lead to 4-0 in the eighth. Evan Gattis doubled to start the second and scored on the one-out sacrifice fly by Justin Upton. McHugh walked a pair in the fourth inning, but the Braves didnt get another hit until Freeman singled with two outs in the sixth. Freeman was tagged out trying to stretch it into a double to end the inning. Dexter Fowler hit a leadoff double in the first, and was thrown out at third trying to advance on Jose Altuves grounder. Houston didnt get another runner until rookie Jon Singleton snapped an 0-for-17 skid with a ground-rule double to right-centre field with two outs in the fourth. The ball got lodged under the wall and Singleton was already heading toward home when he was called back to second base. Wood got right back on track after Singletons hit and set down the next five Astros before walking Fowler with one out in the sixth. George Springer singled with two outs to put runners at the corners, but Wood struck out Singleton to escape the jam. NOTES: Braves LHP Ryan Buchter was optioned to Gwinnett to make room for Wood on the roster. ... The Astros recalled OF L.J. Hoes from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned OF Robbie Grossman there before the game. ... Atlanta RHP David Carpenter, on the disabled list with a strained right biceps, felt good after throwing a bullpen on Tuesday and is scheduled to throw another one on Thursday. ... SS Carlos Correa, Houstons top prospect and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, had season-ending surgery on Wednesday after breaking his right fibula. Wholesale Fake Yeezys . Dalton completed his only pass and led the Bengals to a touchdown in his only drive -- one that took four minutes to finish -- and the Cincinnati Bengals ended the preseason with a 27-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. Cheap Fake Yeezys .ca. In Sundays Blackhawks-Penguins game, Pittsburgh defenceman Brooks Orpik laid a huge hit on Chicagos Jonathan Toews. Now in my view, Orpik can be clearly seen leaving his feet while delivering a moderately high hit. http://www.fakeyeezysforsale.com/ . Chelsea took until the second half to trouble the leagues bottom team, but Schuerrle then ripped through the defence with ease at Craven Cottage to keep Jose Mourinhos side on track for the title. Fake Yeezys For Sale . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill. Fake Yeezys Online .com) - The New York Islanders will try to solve their issues against Central Division opponents when they visit the Minnesota Wild for Tuesdays battle at Xcel Energy Center.CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta did quite well without his best stuff. Arrieta struck out seven in seven innings, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. Arrieta (6-2) allowed one run and three hits in his first victory since June 30 at Boston. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has a 1.73 ERA in his last 11 starts, holding opponents to a .162 batting average. "Well, you know, going in I felt a little off," he said. "In the pen I kind of realized it. I just didnt feel like I had a lot of life on my fastball today, but I was able to come out with a good mix of off-speed pitches for strikes, below the zone for swings and I mixed in some changeups. My cutter was pretty good today." The Cubs won three of four in a matchup of last-place teams. The Rockies have lost four of five and 11 of 15 overall. Pedro Hernandez (0-1) allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings in his first start for Colorado. Arrieta retired his first 14 batters before Wilin Rosario single with two out in the fifth. Corey Dickerson singled and scored on Nolan Arenados double in the seventh for Colorados two other hits against the pitcher. "Arrieta was really good," Colorado manager Walt Weiss said, "but toward the end of his rope there, we had an opportunity but could never get to him." Arrieta, 28, said hes learned that pitching is not all about blowing hitters away. In the past, he may have stuck with his fastball on a day when it wasnt quite there instead of trying something else. "Thats something you have to take it upon yourself as a pitcher to recognize at an early stage in the game," he said. "There are times where guys wont recognize that and theyll continue to try and find their fastball and give up hits." Chicago scored three times in the sixth despite getting one ball out of the infield the entire inning. Starlin Castro had a bases-loaded walk, Justin Ruggiano added a sacrifice fly and Luis Valbuena drove in a run with a grounder to shortstop. Hector&nbbsp;Rondon got three outs for his 14th save in 17 opportunities.dddddddddddd He retired three straight after Arenado and Justin Morneau singled to start the ninth. CUBS MAKE TRADE The Cubs made one trade on the non-waiver deadline day, sending utilityman Emilio Bonifacio, left-handed reliever James Russell and cash to Atlanta for switch-hitting catching prospect Victor Caratini. Caratini, 20, was selected by the Braves in the second round of the 2013 draft. He hit .279 with five homers and 42 RBIs in 87 games with Class A Rome this season. "Hes a guy we liked in the draft a lot," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer. "Weve said it all along, catching is a weakness in our system and we dont have enough of it. Hes a switch-hitting catcher who can control the strike zone and has performed well. So were excited to get him." Bonifacio has been playing well lately, batting .400 (14 for 35) in his last eight games. He hit .279 in 69 games with the Cubs this season. Russell, 28, is 0-2 with one save and a 3.87 ERA in 44 appearances this year. TRAINERS ROOM CUBS: With Chicago headed out on the road, rookie reliever Neil Ramirez (triceps soreness) will travel to the teams spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz., to continue his rehab. The hope is that the right-hander will be ready to go when he is eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Aug. 10. ROCKIES: Outfielder Michael Cuddyer (fractured shoulder) is scheduled to take part in light batting practice drills on Friday. If he progresses as expected in the next seven to 10 days, a minor league rehab stint will be the next step in his recovery. ON DECK The Cubs begin a six-game road trip Friday night in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Rookie right-hander Kyle Hendricks (1-1, 2.33 ERA) faces Dodgers right-hander Dan Haren (8-8, 4.49 ERA) in the series opener. The Rockies open a three-game series Friday at Detroit, with left-hander Franklin Morales (5-5, 5.18 ERA) taking on Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander (9-9, 4.59 ERA). ' ' '