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OAKLAND, Calif. -- The beginning of Julys first blockbuster trade occurred about a month ago, when Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane called Chicago Cubs executive Theo Epstein to ask about Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. Beane told Epstein he liked the starting pitchers, and he was going to be aggressive in an attempt to improve the AL West leaders. Fast forward to this weekend, when Beane proved just how serious he was during that initial call. Oakland and Chicago announced the big trade on Saturday, with Samardzija and Hammel heading to the West Coast for a package of prospects that included the As first-round selections in each of the past two drafts. "The deal speaks for itself. To pick up two guys like that in early June is pretty fantastic," As manager Bob Melvin said. "We wanted more options and saw the urgency to get it done. This makes us better." The Athletics began the day with the best record in baseball, but Beane felt he needed to add depth to a rotation that responded well to season-ending injuries for Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin. Drew Pomeranz also is on the disabled list with a broken right hand. Samardzija and Hammel join Scott Kazmir and Sonny Gray in one of the majors best group of starting pitchers. "We had to dig into our depth really early, and we felt like we needed two (starting pitchers)," Beane said. Samardzija will start for the As on Sunday. He was scheduled to pitch for the Cubs Saturday. In somewhat of a surprise, the As sent left-hander Tommy Milone to Triple-A Sacramento later Saturday to make room for Samardzija. Milone was 6-0 with a 2.62 ERA over his last 11 starts and 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 16 starts overall. "What do you say to a guy like that?" Melvin said. "Hes been terrific his last 10 starts and has meant a lot to us the last three years. I tried to figure out what to say to him. We havent seen the last of him." Oakland will make a move Sunday to clear space for Hammel, who will start Wednesday. Minor leaguers Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily went to Chicago in another painful deal for the lowly Cubs, who have played better of late, but are still last in the NL Central. Chicago also gets a player to be named in its latest July sell-off. The Cubs lost at least 91 games in each of the previous three years. They traded away starting pitchers Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm in July 2012, and Matt Garza and Scott Feldman last July. "We certainly hope that this is the last year that were obvious sellers at the trade deadline," Epstein said. The key piece for Chicago in the deal with Oakland was Russell, a 20-year-old shortstop headed for Double-A Tennessee. A torn right hamstring sidelined the No. 11 overall selection in the 2012 draft earlier this season, but he was batting .333 in 13 games for Double-A Midland at the time of the trade. Chicago and Oakland talked about a Samardzija for Russell deal, but Epstein said the one-for-one framework didnt work. He spoke with Beane on Thursday night, and thats when the trade grew into the larger package. "We felt like Russell was a key for us in any deal with Oakland," Epstein said. The hard-throwing Samardzija had a 2-7 record for the Cubs, but he also had a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 108 innings, making him one of the most coveted pitchers on the market. The former Notre Dame receiver was selected by Chicago in the fifth round in 2006. Chicago recalled left-hander Chris Rusin from Triple-A Iowa. Epstein said the Cubs were still discussing their options when it came to the rotation. "I can say that (after that) its going to stay the same until Tuesday for the doubleheader (at Cincinnati)," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of the rotation after Saturday. Jake Arrieta is set to start Sunday in Washington and Edwin Jackson on Monday at Cincinnati. The Cubs will add a 26th man, Tsuyoshi Wada, for Tuesdays doubleheader. The Cubs talked to the 29-year-old Samardzija about a contract extension, but were unable to come to an agreement. He is set to become a free agent for the first time after the 2015 season. "Jeff has been a bit of workhorse," Beane said. "Hes got a perfect health record. Hes a guy that continues to develop. Hes gotten better and better each year he goes out." Hammel signed a $6 million, one-year contract with Chicago in February and went 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 108 2-3 innings with the Cubs. He pitched six-plus innings in a 7-2 victory over Washington on Friday. Hammel, who turns 32 in September, also has three career post-season starts. "Hes gotten better and better and we think now is a great time to have him," Beane said. The 19-year-old McKinney, who was selected in the first round a year ago, hit .241 with 10 homers for Class A Stockton this season. He is headed for Chicagos Class A affiliate in Daytona, Florida, where he will share the outfield with another top prospect in Albert Almora. Straily finished 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA in 27 starts for the As last year. He was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento after struggling earlier this season, and Epstein said he likely would be up with the Cubs after a short stay at Triple-A Iowa. Even before the deal, Chicago had one of the richest minor league systems in baseball. The addition of Russell and McKinney just enhances the Cubs impressive group of prospects. "We think we have a real outstanding stable of good young position players that is a stable base to build off," Epstein said. "We like how this positions us." Authentic Clippers Jerseys . Al Horford said all he had to do was make the catch near the basket and then shoot a soft jumper. Cheap Clippers Jerseys . 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Jones took a beating, the worst one of his record reign, in a bout against Alexander Gustafsson that knocked the light heavyweight champion on the canvas for the first time in his career and put his belt in jeopardy.HOUSTON -- After the Philadelphia 76ers tied an NBA record with their 26th consecutive loss, one of their youngest voices spoke loudest. Michael Carter-Williams, one of six rookies on the NBAs youngest team, delivered a pep talk after James Hardens triple-double led the Houston Rockets to a 120-98 victory on Thursday night. "During the game a couple of guys had long faces ... and I found myself a little bit down," said Carter-Williams, who had 10 assists. "I just dont want anyone in this locker room feeling bad for themselves ... I think thats really important that we dont get down on ourselves and we just give up just because we have a certain amount of losses. "I just felt like I needed to speak my piece and make sure that guys are upbeat every single day." Philadelphia coach Brett Brown was impressed by the leadership the 22-year-old Carter-Williams showed. "He never would have done that two months ago," Brown said. "He wouldnt have done it two weeks ago. All these things, all these small wins we find along the way, thats our road map this year. And life moves on. The group will stay together and we will finish this thing out together." Harden had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in three quarters for his second career triple-double as Houston picked up its fifth straight victory. "We did a great job of coming out tonight and taking care of business," Harden said. "No matter what their record was, we knew they were going to come here and play hard." The 76ers (15-57) stuck around early before a big second-quarter run allowed the Rockets to pull away and roll to the win. Philadelphia moved within a game of Milwaukee for the leagues worst record. Philadelphia matched the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBAs worst skid and can set the record at home against Detroit on Saturday. "We move on," Brown said. "We are on a different path. We see this whole thing through a far different lens." James Anderson led the Sixers with 30 points and made six 3-pointers. The Sixers havent won since Jan. 29 and are two games away from going winless in two straight months. There was very little visible emotion as the final seconds ticked away and the players slowly made their way off the court. Dwight Howard added 17 points with 13 rebounds for Houston. Terrence Jones had 20 points. There were a number of lowlights as the 76ers took their spot in history. One came when Howard blocked a shot by Thaddeus Young and he fell backward to the ground. By the time he got up, the Rockets were already on the other end of the court running their offence.dddddddddddd Another was when the Sixers got a steal, but gave it back seconds later when Youngs pass intended for Anderson sailed high over his head and into the crowd. Carter-Williams got in on the bad play action when, under heavy pressure from Harden, he simply threw the ball into the Philadelphia bench in the second quarter. But the game wasnt without some nice plays by the Sixers, who have continued to play hard during this terrible stretch. A highlight came when Casper Ware grabbed a steal and made a 46-foot heave as time expired in the first quarter. That shot was part of a 12-0 run which got the Sixers within 35-33 early in the second quarter. A nice reverse layup by Anderson tied it at 43-all midway through the second quarter before Houston used a 20-6 run to take a 63-49 lead at halftime. The Sixers missed nine shots, including three layups, and had four turnovers as the Rockets built the lead. Houston was up by 17 late in the third quarter when the team went on an 8-0 run to pad the lead to 96-71. Brown addressed the dreadful stretch before the game and he isnt interested in anyones pity. "I hope they feel good about themselves," he said. "I dont want anyone feeling sorry for us or hanging our head ... we are going through something and we will get through it together." He also discussed their plan for rebuilding at length, saying he knew what he was getting into when he took the job and insisted this skid hasnt been difficult for him. "I can tell you very, very sincerely that this is something that in a twisted way is enjoyable in regards to watching the young guys get better," he said. "Obviously at times its hard going through it ... (but) I feel like were heading in the right direction." None of that can erase the fact that this streak now has its place in history as one of the worst in all of the four major professional sports. According to STATS LLC, the longest streaks in the other major sports are held by: -- In the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26 losses in row, from Sept. 12, 1976-Dec. 4 1977. -- In MLB, the Philadelphia Phillies, 23 losses in a row, from Jan. 29, 1961-Aug. 20, 1961. -- In the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins, 18 losses in a row, from Jan. 13, 2004-Feb. 22, 2004. NOTES: Former Rockets and Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone attended the game. Malone also played for the 76ers. ... Houston point guard Pat Beverley sprained his right knee in the first half and didnt return. 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