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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish are scheduled to start the next two games for the Texas Rangers, after some extra rest for the aces lined up to start the teams first two playoff games.With more than a week left in the regular season and the Rangers on the verge of clinching their second consecutive AL West title, there is also the opportunity for Hamels and Darvish to get back on track before the postseason after some subpar outings this month.It would be nice for them to go out, throw the ball well and have some success, said manager Jeff Banister, while re-emphasizing that he still sees them as among the best pitchers in the game.There would be a lot of `feel good. Whats necessary is for all our guys to get on that roll, quality pitches, manage the game and go as deep as possible, he said. There is a lot of `feel good satisfaction in that. If everything is in place, you are mentally stronger and relax.All-Star lefty Hamels (14-5, 3.42 ERA) has a 10.50 ERA over his last four starts, though the Rangers have won three of those games.Darvish (5-5, 3.81), who has made only 15 starts this season after missing all of 2015 following Tommy John surgery, allowed a career high-matching seven runs last Saturday against Oakland. He has a 7.47 ERA in his three September games, and is 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA his last five starts.Their names are recognizable because of the work that theyve done, said reliever Jake Diekman, part of the trade that brought Hamels from Philadelphia in a July 2015 trade. Youre going to have peaks and valleys, but those guys are that good because theyre good at not having it go farther than one or two starts. Both of them could throw nine-inning shutouts next start.The Rangers (90-63) had Thursday off, but their magic number for the division title was reduced to one game when second-place Houston lost at home to the Los Angeles Angels. Texas can wrap up the AL West on Friday with a win at Oakland, or losses by both the Astros (81-72) and Seattle (80-72). The Mariners are a half-game behind Houston, but have played one less game than both the Rangers and Astros.Darvish and Hamels both also had extended rest before their last starts, and each likely will get one more start at home before the playoffs.Hamels will take the mound Friday night for the series opener against the As, seven days after the 2008 World Series MVPs last start.On the final day of the regular season last year, Hamels threw a three-hit complete game in a 9-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels to finally wrap up the division.Darvish is set to pitch Saturday, a week after struggling against the As at home in an outing when, without elaborating, he said he tried to tweak some mechanics in the bullpen before the game.That stuff that I tried ... it didnt work out. It was hard to do on the game mound, so Im probably going to try to be more close to where I was before, Darvish said through his interpreter this week. Im always trying to improve, Im trying to find something better for me to work.Since coming to Texas from Japan before the 2012 season, Darvish has made only postseason start for the Rangers. That was in the AL wild-card game at the end of his first season, when he allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings in a loss to Baltimore.Right now, I dont want to put too much pressure on myself thinking about playoffs, Darvish said. Coming off the Tommy John surgery, I just need to take care of myself and my focus is one outing at a time. Thats what Im going to do. Denver Nuggets Jerseys . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Thomas Welsh Jersey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. http://www.nuggetsproshop.com/Dikembe-Mutombo-Nuggets-Jersey/ . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Custom Denver Nuggets Jerseys . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Michael Porter Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. AUSTIN, Texas -- Tevin Mack powered over two defenders for a tough layup, hit the floor and picked himself up to flex his muscles and smile.Mack was back and so was No. 23 Texas.The sophomore forward scored 14 points after returning from a one-game suspension, and the Longhorns used a big second half to roll over Louisiana-Monroe 80-59 on Monday night.Im just glad we came back with a win, Mack said. I had a little bit of nerves, but I fought through that real quick.The Longhorns were back to full strength with the return of Mack and guard Kerwin Roach Jr. from one-game suspensions for offseason rules violations, giving Texas (2-0) some of the muscle, speed and depth it lacked in a sloppy season-opening win over Incarnate Word . Neither started Monday night but both were on the court within minutes of the opening tip.Mack made four 3-pointers and Roach had 11 points and two assists.I was excited to be back on the court and not on the bench, Roach said. We want to get out and run.Louisiana-Monroe (1-1) cut Texas lead to 46-40 on a 3-pointer from Jordan Harris before the Longhorns responded with a 16-4 run. Kendal Yancy scored five straight points, made a 3-pointer and threw down a dunk in transition that made it 62-44 with just under 8 minutes left.Texas defense took over from there. Louisiana-Monroe struggled to penetrate and the Longhorns bigger players constantly pushed the Warhawks further out on the edge than they wanted to be.Texas guard Andrew Jones said coach Shaka Smart pushed the Longhorns on defense after their season opener.Coach really encouraged us to be aggressive. Be dogs, Jones said.Yancy finished with 12 points and Jones scored 12 and had a team-high four assists. Texas freshman forward Jarrett Allen followed a double-double in his debut with eight points and three rebounds.Marvin Jean-Pierre scored 13 for Louisiana-Monnroe, which shot just 30 percent.ddddddddddddBIG PICTURELouisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks tried to punch above their weight in the Big 12 but missed their chance at an upset. Early 3-point shooting built a short-lived lead, but Texas size and speed eventually took over.Our program has had length the last two years at our level, and after seeing the Longhorns tonight, I miss it, coach Keith Richard said. They forced us out just a step or two from where we needed to be.Texas: A much smoother performance after the struggle against Incarnate Word. Getting Roach and Mack back in the lineup gave Texas more options to attack both inside and out. Smart even used a four-guard, up-tempo attack that hell want to build on before the start of Big 12 play.POLL IMPLICATIONSTexas slid down two spots in the AP Top 25 after its opener. This one should give voters more confidence.INSIDE THE BOXSCORETexas was shaky from the free throw line (13 of 21) and got outrebounded (43-41). But the Longhorns shot 50 percent, blocked five shots and didnt give the ball away, committing just five turnovers.The addition of Mack and Roach also kept Texas fresh. Four Longhorns played 32 minutes or more in the season opener. No one got more than 24 minutes against Louisiana-Monroe.They were able to get a break. You can play harder that way, Smart said.HE SAID ITSmart on getting players to focus on defense: Its like my (5-year-old) daughter, I tell her its really important you take a bath tonight, and she doesnt think its important.UP NEXTLouisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks road trip takes them to the Pac-12 with Thursdays game at Colorado.Texas: The Longhorns host Eastern Washington on Thursday.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '