The IOC has adopted a more hands-on role

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ATLANTA - Mike Minor needed a reason to believe he could work his way back to his 2013 form. Courtney Lee Jersey . 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-, 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- 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. Mitchell Robinson Jersey . -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. Phil Jackson Jersey . A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Steelers will part ways with the former Pro Bowler, a move that hardly serves as a surprise after fifth-year linebacker Jason Worilds agreed to accept a "transition player" tag last week. http://www.nbaknicksprostore.com/kids-carmelo-anthony-knicks-jersey/ . What they did need, the Devils got from Patrik Elias. Elias scored a power-play goal 40 seconds into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars.In an unusually blunt public warning, a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday called the delayed preparations for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro "the worst I have experienced." John Coates, who has made six trips to Brazil as part of the IOCs co-ordination commission for Rio, said the Brazilians are behind "in many, many ways" and are in worse shape than Greek organizers were in preparing for the 2004 Olympics. Despite the critical delays, the Australian said there is no backup plan and the games will take place in Rio. Coates noted that the IOC had taken the unprecedented step of embedding experts in the host city to help the local organizing committee deliver the games. "The IOC has formed a special task force to try and speed up preparations but the situation is critical on the ground," Coates told an Olympic forum in Sydney, outlining that construction delays are just part of the problem. "The IOC has adopted a more hands-on role. It is unprecedented for the IOC, but there is no plan B. We are going to Rio." Brazil has also come under fire from footballs world governing body, FIFA, for long delays in construction of stadiums and other infrastructure and the overdue delivery of venues for the World Cup, which kicks off in June. Two years out from the 2016 Olympics, the situation on the construction front is just as bleak. "We have become very concerned. They are not ready in many, many ways," Coates said. "And this is against a city thats got social issues that also have to be addressed; a country thats also trying to deal with the FIFA World Cup coming up in a few months." Coates said dealing with three levels of government in Brazil made it harder for local organizers than it was for the heavily criticized organizers of the Athens Games, which were also plagued by construction delays and earned a "yellow light" warning from then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. "I think this is a worse situaation than Athens," Coates said. Anthony Mason Jersey. "In Athens, we were dealing with one government and some city responsibilities. Here, theres three. "There is bureaucracy, there is little co-ordination between the federal, the state government and the city -- which is responsible for a lot of the construction. The flow of funds from the federal government is not happening quickly enough. We think we need to help facilitate that." Coates, who chairs the IOC co-ordination commission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said he thinks the IOC has put the message across in Brazil. "We have to make it (the Olympics) happen and that is the IOC approach, you cant walk away from this," he said. "If it comes off -- the first (Olympic) Games on the South American continent, in a magical city in so many ways -- itll be a wonderful experience for the athletes." Work hasnt begun at Deodoro, a complex for eight Olympics sports venues, and the course that will host golfs return to the Olympic program for the first time in more than a century doesnt have grass yet. Water pollution is a big worry for sailing and other sports. Concern over the delays has been building over time but hit crisis levels at the SportAccord meeting in Belek, Turkey, earlier this month. In a rare display of unified, open criticism against an Olympic host, 18 sports federations publicly aired concerns over Rios preparations, with some sports asking about "Plan B" contingencies. The IOC has decided to send a senior troubleshooter, IOC executive director Gilbert Felli, to Brazil as part of a series of emergency measures to tackle the delays threatening the games. Coates said other experienced, high-level staff will soon be appointed. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes fired back last week at the complaints by sports federations, saying they were making too many unnecessary demands. Paes said the federations were asking for too many "large things" that wont be used by the city after the Olympics. 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