th a throw of 19.59 meters (64 feet, 3? inches). Her chances of matching her fathers medal success are increasing. After

CHICAGO -- Jeff Samardzija mixed a strong start with an impressive performance at the plate. Samardzija hit a two-run home run and pitched eight sharp innings for his first win since opening day and the Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Wednesday night. David DeJesus led off the first inning with a home run and Anthony Rizzo had two hits for the Cubs, who won back-to-back series for the first time this season. Reid Brignac hit a pinch-hit homer for the Rockies, who finished a 2-4 road trip. Samardzija (2-5) allowed two runs and five hits. He struck out seven and walked two, but the highlight came on his two-run homer in the second inning. "I need to slow down around the bases and enjoy it a little bit. It doesnt happen too often. We work a lot in hitting. (Pitching coach Chris) Bosio has us hitting out there every day in the cages. Its an important at-bat," Samardzija said. "You just cant accept the out as a pitcher. Its the same out as every other. You roll the lineup over and get the top coming up and it changes the game." Colorado starter Jon Garland (3-4) allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one. "I dont want to come out of these games, its not my choice. Id like to keep going and see if I can continue to give the team a chance. It almost seems like Im hurting the team more than Im helping the team only going five," Garland said. DeJesus snapped Garlands 18 1-3 scoreless inning streak against the Cubs with a leadoff home run into the left-field bleachers in the first inning. It was DeJesus second leadoff homer of the season and 14th of his career. Samardzija gave up the lead in the second inning on Josh Rutledges RBI single. After a two-out double by Darwin Barney, Samardzija got the lead back on a two-run shot to left to make it 3-1. It was Samardzijas first of the season and second of his career. Yorvit Torrealba grounded into a double play to end the second inning which set off a string of 10 consecutive batters retired by Samardzija. "He just used his whole repertoire tonight. He knew what he was doing tonight, he was pitching, he just wasnt out there throwing. He was mixing it up, keeping them a little off-balanced, broke a lot of bats again tonight," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. Samardzija bounced back from his worst outing of the season. He allowed a season-high eight hits and seven runs -- five earned -- in five innings of a 7-3 loss at Washington. "Call me crazy, but I thought I did some good things in Washington. I thought I got back on track with my fastball. I just didnt pitch in enough against Washington, but overall when I looked back at the film I was happy with the way I threw. The outcome wasnt what you wanted but I knew I just had to carry that into tonight," Samardzija said. In the sixth inning, Brignac led off with a pinch-hit home run to centre. It was his first career pinch-hit homer and cut the Cubs lead to 3-2. Samardzija got help from his defence in the seventh inning. With two outs, Rutledge lined a double off the wall in left field, Alfonso Soriano made a good relay throw to shortstop Starlin Castro, who was able to throw out Rutledge attempting a double. The Rockies have not won back-to-back games since a season-high eight-game winning streak April 12-20. They have not won a three-game series at Wrigley Field since Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2006. "We gotta put together some consistent performances. But overall, weve played fairly well on the road," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. In Samardzijas seven other starts, he endured a shaky bullpen and lack of timely hitting from his offence before getting his first win since April 1. The Cubs added to the lead in the seventh. After a sacrifice bunt by Samardzija, Castro and Rizzo hit back-to-back RBI singles. Castros hit came on a hit-and-run and Rizzo hit a hard grounder between the legs of Todd Helton at first base. Castro came around to score on Sorianos fielders choice to make it 6-2. In the ninth inning, Cubs closer Kevin Gregg gave up a two-out RBI single to Rutledge in a non-save situation. It was the first run he allowed in 11 appearances. He finished the game by getting Wilin Rosario to fly out to centre with runners on first and third. NOTES: Samardzijas other home run came on Sept. 23, 2009 at Milwaukee. ... RHP Jhoulys Chacin is Colorados scheduled starter against San Francisco on Thursday. He is on a three-game losing streak against the Giants. ... The wave got going in the bottom of the seventh inning, an oddity at Wrigley Field. ... Rizzo has not struck out in his past 32 plate appearances, dating back to May 7th against the Cardinals.Jaxson Hayes Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. 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Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006.EUGENE, Ore. -- If you were not aware that Michael Carter is the only person to win an Olympic medal and a Super Bowl ring in the same year, dont feel too bad. His daughter didnt know it until after a junior high coach asked her to start throwing the shot put.I came home and told my dad and he said, Are you sure? Who told you? What did they say to you? Michelle Carter said. Because he was aware that I didnt know what he did in track. I grew up with my dad playing football, so thats what I knew. He wanted to make sure the shot put was something I wanted to choose on my own and not be something somebody made me do because they knew what my dad had done in the sport.What her father had done was win a silver medal in the shot put at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Then he won a Super Bowl ring as a nose tackle with the San Francisco 49ers roughly five months later (technically the next year, but the 1984 season).Even so, Michelle said she didnt truly understand that double achievement until she was in high school and learned more about her fathers Olympic career, at which point she thought: Ohhh, you really were pretty good.He didnt really talk about it. Thats one thing he didnt want to do, Michelle said. He didnt want to pressure us to do anything he did. If we chose it, it had to be on our own. Because he didnt want us to do anything we didnt enjoy.ddddddddddddichelle very much enjoys the shot put. She qualified for her third straight U.S. Olympic team on Thursday night by winning with a throw of 19.59 meters (64 feet, 3? inches). Her chances of matching her fathers medal success are increasing. After finishing 15th in Beijing (2008) and fifth in London (2012), she has the third-longest throw in the world this year at 20.21 meters (66-3?).Ive matured -- just growing up and learning more about my sport and more about myself, said Carter, 30. Understanding how to compete better has really made a difference. And those years of experience. Ive kind of overcome the Wow! factor a little bit.My goal is to peak big in Rio, because my goal is to win gold. Just knowing that my training is coming together and Im where I would like to be, I just will keep working and get ready for Rio.Even when informed of his athletic career, Michelle said she did not look at her father as a great shot-putter or a great football player, but merely as a great father. Well, and also a great coach because he has been coaching his daughter almost her entire career.I call him Daddy Coach, she said. Hes taught me everything that hes known so Im able to do what Im able to do. ' ' '