ATLANTA - Mike Minor needed a reason to believe he could work his way back to his 2013 form. Beating Jon Lester could provide that confidence boost. Minor pitched seven strong innings, Justin Upton and Chris Johnson homered and the Atlanta Braves beat the reeling Oakland Athletics 4-3 on Sunday night, ending Lesters seven-game winning streak. "Thats Mike Minor of old right there," Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman said. The Braves swept the three-game series, leaving the As with a five-game losing streak, their longest of the season. The As have lost seven of eight overall and trail the Angels, who lost to Texas on Sunday, by percentage points in the AL West. "This is really the first bad road trip weve had this year," manager Bob Melvin said. "This was not a good trip. So weve got to get home and weve got to regroup. It will be good to get home in front of our crowd. Theyre usually good for us." Minor (5-8), who entered with a 5.33 ERA, allowed two runs in a performance reminiscent of last season, when he was 13-9 with a 3.21 ERA. "Were going to need him rolling to get us where were going to go," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. Oaklands Nate Freiman hit two homers, giving him three in the series, but Minor allowed only two other hits. "I feel like Im in a different mindset," Minor said after his second straight quality start. Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth for his 37th save. Lester (13-8) allowed four runs, three earned, and six hits in six-plus innings in his first loss since June 7 for the Red Sox at Detroit. He had been 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA in three starts since his July 31 trade to the As. Upton hit four homers in the 10-game homestand, including two against the As. He has hit 16 of his 23 homers at Turner Field. Freiman led off the second inning with a drive that landed several rows beyond the centre-field wall. The Braves tied it in the bottom half. After Upton singled, Johnson lined to third baseman Josh Donaldson, who threw to first base in an attempt for a double play. The throw hit Upton and rolled into the Atlanta dugout, and Upton was awarded third base. Evan Gattis followed with a run-scoring single to right field. Phil Gosselin led off the Atlanta fourth with a single to right field. With one out, Upton drove a low, inside pitch from Lester about 10 rows deep into the left-field seats for a 3-1 lead. "I thought it was a good pitch when I threw it," Lester said. "I went back and looked at it and, good pitch. So sometimes youve got to tip your hat." 0-FOR-EVER Lester is still waiting for his first career hit. He was 0 for 34 in eight seasons with Boston and his drought continued in his first two at-bats with the As. He struck out and hit a fly ball to left field. GOING WITH GOSSELIN Gosselin was 1 for 4 in his third straight start, including two straight at second base over another rookie, Tommy La Stella, who struck out as a pinch hitter in the seventh. Gosselin hit his first homer in the series opener and had two hits in Saturday nights win. TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: CF Craig Gentry, on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right hand, is ready to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento. Braves: Gonzalez said RHP Shae Simmons (strained right shoulder) will make a second rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday after throwing 10 pitches without a problem on Saturday. UP NEXT Athletics: After an off day on Monday, the As take on another NL East team when they open a two-game series against the New York Mets on Tuesday night. Scott Kazmir (13-5), who already has matched his career high in wins, will start for Oakland. Braves: After completing their 10-game homestand, the Braves open a series at Pittsburgh on Monday night as RHP Ervin Santana goes for his 13th win. Santana (12-6) leads the Braves in victories. China Shoes Black Friday . Billy Hamilton finished off Cincinnatis biggest comeback of the season for a doubleheader sweep. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/. Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. Fake Shoes Black Friday . The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. Discount Shoes Black Friday . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner.DETROIT -- Gustav Nyquist is making the most of his opportunity to play a lot for the injury-depleted Detroit Red Wings. Nyquist had two goals and Jimmy Howard made 31 saves to help the Red Wings hold on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Tuesday night. The 24-year-old Nyquist has 19 goals in 43 games after he had a total of four goals in 40 games spread out over the previous two seasons in the league. Entering the game against Toronto, he was tied with Bostons Jarome Iginla with an NHL-high 12 goals since Jan. 20. "I didnt know that," Nyquist said. "Im just playing with some good players and Im getting some good bounces." While Nyquist is being humble about his goal-scoring stretch, teammate Daniel Alfredsson raved about the fellow Swede. "Hes really pesky on the forecheck and hes making a lot of plays," Alfredsson said. "His speed gives him chances that other players dont get. The second goal was a perfect example." Early in the third period, Nyquist poked the puck off the boards to himself and charged up the ice early to flick a wrist shot from the right circle that beat James Reimers blocker. That goal seemed to set the Red Wings up for the victory, but they still had work to do. Jake Gardiner scored on a power play midway through the third to pull Toronto within a goal. The Maple Leafs appeared to tie the game less than two minutes later, but Nazem Kardris goal was waved off because he made a kicking motion to knock the puck in with the inside of his right skate. The Red Wings went ahead by two goals again with 2:33 left when Alfredssons wrist shot from the slot hit the back of the net on an odd-man rush that Gardiner lamented. "I thought we were going to come back at the end, but we made a mistake," Gardiner said. The Maple Leafs pulled Reimer to add an extra skater seconds later and James van Riemsdyk scored with 1:13 left, but couldnt get the puck past Howard again to extend the game past regulation. "Not a lot of space out on the ice," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. Reimer stoppped 28 shots for the Maple Leafs.dddddddddddd Detroit is desperately trying to move up in the Eastern Conference standings to extend its post-season streak to 23 with a fraction of the team it expected to have this season. Toronto is the first of two wild-card teams in the East, and the Red Wings wouldnt make the playoffs is they started Wednesday. "A huge win for us," Nyquist said. "Also very important they didnt get a point too and we got two." The Red Wings lost forward Justin Abdelkader to a leg laceration in Sundays loss at Chicago, leading to the team calling up 22-year-old Landon Ferraro, son of former NHL player Ray Ferraro. "I was a little nervous at the beginning," Landon Ferraro acknowledged. Ferraro said it was "awesome" to have both his parents watch him play his first game for the Red Wings. "It was real nice for both of them to be able to get in and be here for this," he said before chatting with his father in the dressing room after the game. Abdelkaders injury also put 25-year-old defenceman Brendan Smith at forward for the first time since he was a teenager against Toronto. The banged-up team, which had won just two of their previous seven games, took another hit against the Maple Leafs. The Red Wings started the game with numerous forwards, including Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, due to injuries and lost defenceman Jonathan Ericsson because of a broken finger. "We get somebody hurt every day and they never come back," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I guess hes out for a bit. I dont really know. A hand specialist is looking at him." NOTES: The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings in their previous meeting, a 3-2 shootout on New Years Day in the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, after losing the first matchup this season 5-4 in a shootout at home. ... Abdelkader is expected to be out for two weeks. ... Toronto, which closed its road trip 2-3, hosts Tampa Bay on Wednesday. ... Detroits next game is Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. ' ' '