d base and end the inning.The worst throw Paxton made before the eighth wasnt to the mound but to first base, when Kendrys Morales chopped a grounder back to him the previous inning. Paxtons throw slipped and bounced halfway to the bag.With everything else going for him, it still beat Mo

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Seven days after the Texas Rangers clinched their second straight American League West title, they took another significant step toward their ultimate goal.Yu Darvish looked playoff-ready with a season-high 12 strikeouts in six innings as the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 on Friday night and clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason.The Rangers can be tied by the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, and they own tiebreakers over both teams. The AL owns home-field advantage in the World Series thanks to its win in the All-Star Game.Texas has never previously owned home-field advantage throughout the postseason and has never won a World Series. This clinching came thanks to the teams record 53rd home victory.Were playing really good baseball at home, shortstop Elvis Andrus said, so its always good to start everything at home.Darvish (7-5) allowed one run, three hits and one walk. His 28th career game of double-digit strikeouts is the second-most in a pitchers first 100 major league starts, topped only by Dwight Gooden (31). Darvish will likely start Game 2 of the division series -- following Cole Hamels -- in his first postseason appearance since losing the 2012 AL wild-card game to Baltimore.He looks a little bit more electric to me, said Evan Longoria, who had two of the Rays four hits. His ball is moving in different directions.Shin-Soo Choo returned to Texas lineup after missing 39 games with a fractured left forearm. Choo pulled a single to right in his first plate appearance since Aug. 15 and went 1-for-4.Matt Andriese (8-8) gave up three runs and seven hits, including solo home runs to Carlos Beltran and Rougned Odor.Darvish went into the game averaging 11.45 strikeouts per nine innings this season, best in the league. In his final four starts of the season, he fanned 38 in 24 2/3 innings.Ive had pretty good results lately, Darvish said through a translator, and I think Im in a good position now.Beltran homered just inside the right-field foul pole, his 29th of the season and seventh since joining Texas at the non-waiver trade deadline.Odors homer was his 33rd, tying Adrian Beltre for the team lead this season. The only Texas second baseman to hit more in a season is Alfonso Soriano, with 35 in 2005.Longoria had two doubles, one driving in the Rays run, giving him career highs of 171 hits and 80 extra-base hits this season.CHOO KNOWS HIS MISSIONResults arent the most important thing for Choo with him scheduled to play all three games of the series, which will determine whether hes on the 25-man postseason roster.My job is to show them Im healthy the next three days, he said.AFTER DARVISH, MORE ZEROESSam Dyson earned his 38th save. Four Texas relievers worked three scoreless innings, running the bullpens streak to a club-record 29 2/3, and it allowed one hit and one walk.These are guys weve seen be extremely effective, overpowering, have the ability to get outs when they need to get outs, manager Jeff Banister said.SHORT HOPSTexas (95-65) is one win short of tying the club record set in 2011. ... The Rays are 10-18 in September, the most losses in one month for the team since going 7-20 in July 2007. ... Logan Forsythe, who has been the Rays leadoff hitter in 123 games this season, appeared as a pinch-hitter and will return to the lineup Saturday night. ... Ian Desmond increased his majors-leading total of outfield errors to 12 with two dropped fly balls.UP NEXTTampa Bay: Jake Odorizzi (9-6) hasnt won since Aug. 30. The Rays have lost in his past four starts, during which he has had a 5.40 ERA.Texas: Colby Lewis (6-4), who figures to start Game 3 of the division series, is 0-3 with a 9.75 ERA in three September starts after missing two months with a strained lat muscle. Lewis lasted only 1 1/3 innings in his previous start Sunday at Oakland.Kerryon Johnson Lions Jersey .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Jahlani Tavai Youth Jersey . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. http://www.authenticnfllionslockroom.com/Youth-TJ-Hockenson-Elite-Jersey/ . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Calvin Johnson Youth Jersey . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. T.J. Hockenson Youth Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Salvador Perez gave Royals reliever Brooks Pounders his first career win, Mariners starter James Paxton a frustrating no-decision and Kansas City a much-needed confidence boost with one mighty swing.Perez capped a three-hit night with a double off the wall in the ninth inning Thursday night, scoring Whit Merrifield and Jarrod Dyson and giving the Royals a 4-3 victory over Seattle to open a four-game set.How many times have we been through it? I mean, we fight. We keep fighting, said Danny Duffy, who kept the Royals in the game with 6 1/3 strong innings. Youre never out of the game with these boys.Paxton kept them out of it for eight innings, using just 78 pitches to get that far. The only damage he allowed came in the eighth when Paulo Orlando delivered a two-out single to get Kansas City within 3-2.Steve Cishek (2-5) came on to close the game and Merrifield doubled to lead off the ninth. Kendrys Morales was hit by a pitch moments later, Jarrod Dyson came on to run for him, and Eric Hosmer struck out before Perez dug in at the plate and a crowd of 31,425 reached a fevered pitch.He lined a shot to center to give Pounders (1-0), who pitched an inning of relief, his stunning win.Its a great moment in my life, the big reliever said. To walk away with a win in that game is just unbelievable. It says a lot about the team we have here.The victory snapped a four-game skid for Kansas City an extended Seattles road losing streak to 10.I dont know if you can be much more in control of the game to being on the wrong side of things in an inning and a half, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. Tough game to lose.The Mariners built an early 2-0 lead not with a homer -- they entered the game tied for second in the majors with 128 of them -- but with old-fashioned small ball. Dae-Ho Lee scored from second on Dan Robertsons single in the second inning, and Robertson scored after a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly in the fifth.Nelson Cruz added a homer off Joakim Soria in the eighth.Those three runs seemed insurmountable the way Paxton was cruising along.dddddddddddd.He induced inning-ending double plays the first two innings, then another one in the third after back-to-back singles led it off. Ketel Marte then made a nice play ranging out from third base on Alex Gordons blooper into shallow left field to leave Brett Eibner on third base and end the inning.The worst throw Paxton made before the eighth wasnt to the mound but to first base, when Kendrys Morales chopped a grounder back to him the previous inning. Paxtons throw slipped and bounced halfway to the bag.With everything else going for him, it still beat Morales easily for the out.They were popping up the cutter, hitting it on the ground. A lot of ground balls, Paxton said. Guys were making great plays behind me. So thats what happens, you saw guys turn double plays.STATS AND STREAKSMorales was 0 for 3 before getting hit by a pitch in the ninth, allowing him to extend his streak of reaching safely to 21 starts. ... The Mariners lost for the fourth time when leading after eight innings. ... Cruz homered for the seventh time in his last 14 games.ROTATION REMOVALThe Royals are sending RHP Chris Young to the bullpen and will start RHP Dillon Gee or LHP Brian Flynn in Sundays series finale. Young is 2-8 with a 6.90 ERA in 15 appearances, 13 of them starts. Hes also given up a league-leading 26 home runs despite pitching many of his games at spacious Kauffman Stadium.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals RHP Kris Medlen has been shut down after straining his shoulder during a rehab outing. Medlen was 1/3 with a 7.77 ERA in six starts before going on the disabled list in May with rotator cuff inflammation. He is going to be no-throw for a couple weeks, Royals manager Ned Yost said.UP NEXTRHP Yordano Ventura returns for Kansas City on Friday night after spraining his right ankle running the bases in his last start in Philadelphia. RHP Hisashi Iwakuma will oppose him for Seattle. ' ' '