dson and receiver Amari Cooper were slowed at times by injuries, posting a 79.2 rating in the final eight games.But the Broncos see a much more polished

CHICAGO -- Jon Lester recovered from a rut of bad starts, pitching six shutout innings that led the Chicago Cubs over the Seattle Mariners 12-1 Friday for their third straight win. Cosmo Iacavazzi Jersey Store .Jason Heyward and David Ross homered as the NL Central leaders improved to 9-5 since the All-Star break following a 1-9 slump. Seattle lost in its first trip to Wrigley Field since 2007.Lester (11-4) had lasted just 16 innings over his previous four starts, going 1-1 with a 10.13 ERA. That skid came after he had gone 9-3 with a 2.03 ERA in his first 16 starts.Lester gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked two. He was already done when there was a 74-minute rain delay in the seventh.Mike Montgomery, traded last week from Seattle to the Cubs, pitched the final two innings. He gave up a single to Shawn OMalley in the ninth for the Mariners run.Hisashi Iwakuma (11-7) had won his last five starts, but gave up five runs and eight hits in three innings. 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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Derek Carr hears all the talk of a possible MVP and the praise after a sterling first half to the season.That comes with the territory, especially after winning AFC offensive player of the week and setting the franchise single-game record with 513 yards passing.If Carr had it his way, hed tune it all out.I would rather not hear anything, he said Wednesday. I would rather just go about my business and hang out with my family, to be honest. But, its a part of this business, its a part of this job. Trust me, Im very honored and thankful, dont get me wrong, but at this point in the year, that stuff is cool but its not for me.He better get used to it if he puts together more games like the one he had last week in Tampa Bay when he threw the game-tying TD pass to Mychal Rivera with 1:38 left in regulation and the game-winner in overtime to Seth Roberts.He broke Cotton Davidsons franchise record of 427 yards passing in a game and joined Ben Roethlisberger and Y.A. Tittle as the only players to throw for at least 500 yards and four TDs in a game without an interception.Thats why its crazy to me, he said. I still think of myself as a little kid, just a fan of the game. Its still kind of surreal and I dont think it will be real to me until Im done playing and I can kind of look back. For now, Im not going to look back. I have too much ahead of me. But, someday Ill look back at it and its just one of those things, its like surreal. You cant believe it. Its like a video game. Your names up there but is it really yours? So far, it doesnt mean anything, but Im sure someday it will.The performance against the Bucs was indicative of how Carr has played for much of the first half of the season as he led comeback wins earlier against New Orleans and San Diego.His numbers stack up well against the other top quarterbacks in the league like Matt Ryan and Drew Brees with 2,321 yards passing, 17 TDs and only three interceptions for a rating of 100.9.Hes had glimpses. Hes had little windows of greatness and hes made a lot of plays, Denver pass rusher Von Miller said. All the success that hes having this season is reeally not a surprise to me. Ken Panfil Jersey Store. Ive seen it. Ive seen it in him. Ive seen the type of quarterback that he can be.Carr will get one of his toughest tests yet Sunday night when the Super Bowl champion Broncos (6-2) bring their top-notch defense to Oakland to face the Raiders (6-2) in an AFC West showdown.Putting together a top performance against a defense like Denvers is the next step for Carr in his rapid progression from a shaky rookie season in 2014 to where he is now.Carr has four interceptions and six TD passes in four career starts against Denver with the only win coming in a game in which he completed 12 of 29 passes for 135 yards last December.Theyre one of the best defenses in the NFL, let alone this year, but for the last however many years, theyve been one of the best weve ever seen in this league, Carr said. Theyre always a good challenge for us, but were definitely looking forward to it.This marks the second straight season Carr reached the halfway point with stellar numbers. He had a 104.3 rating through eight games last season with 19 touchdown passes, four interceptions and 7.7 yards per attempt. But he took a major step back in the second half when center Rodney Hudson and receiver Amari Cooper were slowed at times by injuries, posting a 79.2 rating in the final eight games.But the Broncos see a much more polished passer in Carrs third season.Anytime you see a guy throwing it as much as theyve thrown it, and yet how well hes protecting the football, and I think hes only been sacked nine times, that tells you about his growth right there, coach Gary Kubiak said. Understanding whats going on and keeping his team in good positions, so very impressed. Obviously, Derek is playing as good as anybody in football right now.Game notes Among the players to miss practice were CB Sean Smith (shoulder) and DT Stacy McGee (ankle). ... DE Mario Edwards Jr. (hip) still has not been activated to practice off IR.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '