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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. http:///...reen-646701-413.html .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. http:///...trus-555586-401.html . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. http:///...lack-822521-305.html . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. http:///...int-grey-a07009.html . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.With Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel having extended his unbeaten record under Guus Hiddink to 25 games, Adam Bate examines his impressive record and the reasons for his success… John Terry is Chelseas captain, leader and legend and one of the definitions of leadership is making others better as a result of your presence. Its a hard one to identify in sport as it is in business but its customary to examine results. Its here that John Obi Mikel might feel entitled to a claim.The Nigerian midfielders unbeaten record under Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has become well documented in recent weeks and that sequence continued at Watford on Wednesday. Over two spells under the Dutchman, Mikel has gone unbeaten in 25 appearances for the Blues. Hiddink is adamant that John Terry could still have a future at Chelsea. Its not been straightforward. The run has included shut outs away to Barcelona and Manchester United, while there have been wins at Arsenal seven years apart. The only game that Hiddink has lost so far as Chelsea boss came against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in 2009. Mikel was injured. Mikel under Hiddink - First spell 2008/09 season Total Won 14 Drawn 3 Lost 0 There was another game that ended badly for Hiddinks Blues - Andres Iniestas stoppage-time equaliser winning that years Champions League semi-final for Barcelona. It wouldnt be a shock if the boss regrets leaving Mikel on the bench that day rather than having him shutting the Spaniard down. Hiddink favourite John Obi Mikel has now started six Premier League games in a row for the first time since 2012. So what is it about Mikel? At Vicarage Road, there were four tackles, two clearances and three interceptions to emphasise his influence. The 28-year-old was the only midfielder on the pitch to win possession of the ball more times than he surrendered it. It was classic Mikel. Patrolling the midfield area, Chelsea have fared better with Mikel around The Premier League tracking data that records distance covered and sprints is not so remarkable, but perhaps theres some sense in that too. Protection for the back four is provided by his presence. As a result, mobility in midfield isnt always a virtue when its vacating the position thats the problem.Ostensibly, Nemanja Matic is the more capable player in many ways but Mikels appreciation of the holding aspect of the holding-miidfield role might make him, rather that the talented Serb, the man that Chelsea needed during their period of poor form earlier in the campaign. http:///...ach-furry-shoes.html. Mikels simple use of the ball against Crystal Palace was impressive Mikels domination of this key central zone was particularly apparent in the recent 3-0 win at Crystal Palace, a game in which his name was chanted vociferously by the visiting supporters. I dont think Ive ever seen John Obi Mikel play so well, Graeme Souness told Sky Sports. He bossed that area.Hiddink, on the other hand, has seen it all before. Hes the ideal player to bring balance to the team, he said. If the team is not willing to defend well, or hasnt got the right balance, then youll concede a lot of goals. I think John Obi can be one of the key figures in bringing back that balance. Hes the ideal player to bring balance to the team. Guus Hiddink on John Obi Mikel He reads the game very well, he knows where the strength of the opponent is and knows how to combat that. He has very good sense, he doesnt do it in a brutal way, hes very elegant. Someone who can defend so smoothly is very beautiful.Its also effective. Since being restored to the starting line-up, Chelsea have kept four clean sheets in six games. Thats as many as they managed in the previous 18 matches. Getting the basics right has been a feature of Hiddinks approach. Hes kept things simple, and thats just how Mikel likes it. Midfield enforcer? Mikel has a habit of making life difficult for opponents Its the way he communicates with the players and maybe thats what the players felt they didnt get from the previous manager, said Mikel in a surprise dig at former boss Jose Mourinho. You need to speak to them and dont just ignore them because players like to be communicated to.For the midfielder, the instructions are crystal clear now. Hes good in short passing, explained Hiddink. I dont expect and I dont ask him to make the decisive final pass. He can but no, we let the other players do that. The talented players can then explore their qualities. Mikel under Hiddink - Second spell 2015/16 season Total Won 3 Drawn 5 Lost 0 Mikel has the best passing accuracy of any Chelsea midfielder, finding a team-mate 89.4 per cent of the time. Its almost a throwback to the pure holding midfielders of the past, such as one-time Chelsea team-mate Claude Makelele. Mikel doesnt fashion the chances. But thats not his job.Of course, this lack of creativity might lead some to conclude that this is no long-term solution. Not everyone is comfortable with the man they call the final whistle due to the regularity with which he has been introduced from the bench in order to defend leads, blowing right from the kick-off. But whatever the future holds, his presence isnt doing Chelsea too much harm right now. The simple approach is helping. This was about steadying this ship. And even now, six-and-a-half years on from Hiddinks last spell, they dont come much steadier than John Obi Mikel.  Also See: Is Pedro in danger? Hiddink v Van Gaal Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '