HOUSTON -- After a tough June where Justin Upton has hit und

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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. Gabriel Mercado Argentina Jersey . Ontario Superior Court Case Management Master Ronald Dash released the decision on Monday, saying John McCaw Jr. must testify in front of a jury by live video conference. Moores lawyer, Tim Danson, asked the court to compel McCaw - who is based in Seattle - to testify in the case back on February 27. Franco Armani Jersey . You can watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 3pm et/Noon pt. The Thunder reclaimed the home-court advantage LA took with a Game 1 win on Friday night with a 118-112 road win in Game 3. http://www.argentinasoccerauthentic.com ... ca-Jersey/. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are disappointed, though not discouraged. Lionel Messi Argentina Jersey . -- Brendan Leipsic had two goals and an assist and Nicolas Petan extended his point streak to 11 games as the Portland Winterhawks slipped past the Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Nicolas Tagliafico Argentina Jersey .Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards.LOS ANGELES -- Patrick Kane skated to a patch of open ice near the painted Stanley Cup logo and fired a long, low shot at the Los Angeles net, hoping to hit an invisible hole. His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. Kanes career has been defined by his brilliance in the Blackhawks biggest moments, and his tiebreaking goal with 3:45 to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals will rank among the best. "Theres still not much room out there in this series," Kane said. "Right now, you have to take advantage of your opportunities when you do get space." Almost nobody seizes an opportunity like Kane, who scored two goals and set up Duncan Keiths tying goal with 8:26 left as the Blackhawks forced a decisive seventh game with a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night. Game 7 is Sunday night in Chicago. The winner hosts the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. After trailing with less than nine minutes to play in Game 6, the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks avoided elimination for the second straight game in an already memorable playoff series between two NHL powers at the top of their games. Chicago is heading home with a chance to advance thanks to the forward who saves his best for the brightest lights. "Its amazing what he can do in these big games when our season is on the line," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said about Kane. "Nobody else seems to be able to do it the same way he does. Its pretty amazing." Kane, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season, had one point in the series first four games. He has scored seven more in Chicagos consecutive dramatic victories, capped by Kanes dangle for a seeing-eye goal past Jonathan Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe winner. "I didnt see anything off the rush," Kane said. "I took it up the line and tried to get a shot through. I think (Andrew Shaw) was in front getting a great screen. Luckily, it went in." The conference finals rematch between the NHLs last two champions will be decided in a winner-take-all Game 7 -- the third of the post-season for the Kings, who are 6-0 in elimination games this spring. Both teams blew late leads in the third period, and Drew Doughty was primed to be Los Angeles hero with a tying goal and a tiebreaking assist on Alec Martinezs score with 12:22 left. But after Kane took control, Corey Crawford came up with several late saves as Chicago hung on. "There is the Wow factor in this series, especially the last two games," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said.dddddddddddd "Weve got two competitive teams that have experience in the situation. Its been amazing. I mean, as good as it gets." Chicago trailed 3-1 in the conference finals after its second straight loss at Staples Center on Monday, but the Blackhawks prolonged the series with an epic double-overtime victory in Game 5. Crawford made 26 saves and exchanged harsh words with counterpart Jonathan Quick as the Blackhawks won for the ninth time in their last 11 elimination games. Dwight King scored an early goal and Doughty played 26 minutes in another dynamic game for the Kings, who were half a period away from clinching their second trip to the Stanley Cup finals in three years. "Im frustrated, but Im over it pretty quickly," Doughty said. "And weve got another game to play, Game 7. Weve had two chances to close out this series, and we are not going to blow a third one." Chicago led 2-1 entering the third after getting goals from Kane and Ben Smith early in the second period, and Staples Center echoed with worry until Doughty tied it with 14:28 left with a wrist shot past a screened Crawford for his third goal in four games. Doughty then fed Martinez for a low shot through traffic, putting the Kings ahead 3-2 and setting off a deafening celebration. A few minutes later, it turned to silence when Keith and Kane beat Quick. "We get the privilege of playing with a guy like that every day and seeing what he can do," Keith said of Kane. "You know when it comes down to crunch time, him and Johnny (Toews), I dont know if there are two other guys Id rather have on my team." But Kane was just one problem for Los Angeles normally solid defence, which gave up numerous scoring chances. "I feel like Im a broken record here, but weve got to be sharp in our own end," Martinez said. "We werent making plays that we normally make. Weve got to be quick to contact on them. We werent very sharp." Crawford exchanged contact and angry words after the second-period horn with Quick, who had just been hit by Shaw. Crawford shook his glove and blocker at his waist, miming his willingness to fight. NOTES: The Blackhawks went with seven defencemen for Game 6, dressing Sheldon Brookbank for the first time since May 13. Kris Versteeg and Peter Regin were scratched. ... Kings owner Phil Anschutz made a rare appearance at Staples Center. Prospective new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and point guard Chris Paul also attended the game. ' ' '