CHICAGO -- Yu Darvish was pleased with his first start since June 8 after recovering from shoulder discomfort, even though his pitch count quickly rose and he fell short of pitching five innings.Darvish returned from the disabled list to strike out nine but was inefficient and wild at times, and Anthony Rizzos two-run double helped lead the Chicago Cubs past the Texas Rangers 3-1 on Saturday.Darvish (2-1) reached 98 mph and allowed only two runs and two hits, but the Japanese right-hander lasted just 4 1/3 innings thanks to four walks and shoddy defense.My shoulder felt fine, Darvish said through an interpreter.Jason Hammel (8-5) struck out seven in six innings for the Cubs, who won their second straight in the interleague matchup of division leaders.Hector Rondon pitched a perfect ninth to complete the three-hitter for his 15th save.Darvish, a three-time All-Star, was making his fourth start since missing all of 2015 following Tommy John surgery. A dominant slider dipping out of the strike zone accounted for seven of his strikeouts.I was throwing the ball well, Darvish said. It was a little different feeling from the last rehab outing in a good way.But he was lifted after 90 pitches when second baseman Rougned Odor dropped what could have been an inning-ending double play.We would have liked to got him the complete five, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. I felt like he pitched well enough to handle that. We saw what we needed to see from him. The secondary stuff was exceptional, the fastball control, command, felt like (that) was there.Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he wanted his players to be patient at the plate, knowing Darvish faced a pitch count. Darvish got Kris Bryant looking on a 98 mph fastball in the first, but his velocity dipped as the game wore on.A guy like that, if you just let him have his way, hell be sitting on 70 (pitches) in the sixth inning, hes going to beat you up, Maddon said. His stuff is that good. KB has really not been in chase mode, and when hes chasing the slider you know how good it actually is.Darvish walked Miguel Montero, who entered hitting .201, to lead off the third. Then Rizzos two-out double to right extended his hitting streak to 11 games and put the Cubs ahead to stay.I threw that slider where I wanted it to be, and I struck him out on the previous at-bat, Darvish said. I threw it where I wanted. Got to tip my hat to him.Hammel allowed three hits in his first victory since June 4. Matt Szczur pinch-hit for the right-hander in the sixth and hit a two-run single off Shawn Tolleson. It was Szczurs 10th pinch hit and second for an RBI in as many days.Texas lone run in the game -- and the series -- came in odd fashion in the second.Ryan Rua singled and scored from second on Elvis Andrus infield single after the first baseman Rizzo threw wildly to the plate.Texas has dropped a season high-tying four straight and nine of 11.Weve got to find a way of putting a good combination of a solid start and some solid offense on the board and play good defense, Banister said.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: RF Shin-Soo Choo (back) was out of the lineup for a second straight day, but an MRI showed no major issues. . RHP Kyle Lohse (oblique) threw a bullpen session before the game. Hes scheduled to start Tuesday against the Angels. . RHP Jose Leclerc was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to make room for Darvish.DARVISH AT THE DISHDarvish batted for the first time since 2014 and went up left-handed. He didnt swing while striking out on three pitches in the third. Darvish batted right-handed in the past. Banister said Darvish has been hitting left-handed during batting practice.I thought it was easier hitting left-handed, and hitting right-handed put more stress on my right shoulder, right elbow, and I kind of didnt want to do it, Darvish said.KELA RETURNSRangers RHP Keone Kela struck out the side and walked one in a hitless seventh in his first appearance since April following elbow surgery.UP NEXTTexas LHP Cole Hamels (9-2, 3.21 ERA) on Sunday makes his first start at Wrigley Field since throwing a no-hitter against the Cubs last July. It came in his final start for Philadelphia. Cubs RHP John Lackey (7-5, 3.70) is winless in his last four starts. Toronto Blue Jays Store . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Blue Jays Jerseys 2020 . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. Toronto Blue Jays Gear . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string.The legacy of Wayne Gretzky is still shaping the hockey landscape in California. True, Gretzky has not played in front of a California crowd in over a decade and has not played for a California team in 17 years, but he has helped spawn a generation of young hockey players in the state. Its the first generation of top-tier talent to come out of the state and they are “Gretzkys Children”. TSN and Sports Illustrated hockey analyst Michael Farber examined how Gretzkys trip to the south inspired a new wave of expansion and relocation, bringing the game to new sun-belt frontiers like Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa Bay and Anaheim. The result – “Gretzkys Children” – aired on Mondays SportsCentre to kick off TSNs week-long “Trade at 25” special to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Kings acquisition of The Great One. Hockey had been played in California since the 1920s but until recently the native Californian in the NHL has been an anomaly. However, since Gretzky arrived, hockey has taken root at the youth level, spawning what Farber labels “the most significant western migration since the movies came to Hollywood.” Proof can already be found from the fruits of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, held in Los Angeles. Beau Bennett - selected 20th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins – and Anaheim 29th overall pick Emerson Etem became the highest-ever California-born and trained first-rounders. The moment was not lost on the players themselves. “It showed that people were starting to take California hockey a little more seriously,” Bennett. That draft was a particular boon for hockey in The United States with 11 players going in the first round alone. But it was the innflux from California that made this class stand-out in addition to the picks from traditional hockey hot-beds like Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Wisconsin.dddddddddddd But the true Hollywood invasion may be yet to come. The returns on the investment the Kings made in trading for Gretzky is still paying dividends, with minor hockey teams from the Golden State starting to make waves at very high levels of competition. In 2012 an LA-based team won the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament and the reigning U.S. National High School Champions are based out of Anaheim. The talent is increasing because registration increased and it was directly tied to Gretzkys arrival. “When he was brought in the registration was around 3,000 kids that were playing the game in the state,” said former NHLer Craig Johnson. “He brought 12,000 kids in from 1991 to 1995-96.” Johnson knows all about the beginning of the post-Gretzky boom, himself being part of the return the Los Angeles Kings got from the St. Louis Blues when they traded Gretzky in 1996. It can be argued that without Gretzky there would be no Anaheim Ducks or Florida Panthers, but if California develops into another source of young NHL talent, there will likely be little argument over the source. TSNs Trade at 25 coverage continues on SportsCentre tomorrow with “Dollars and Cents,” a look at Gretzkys impact on boardrooms across the NHL. Visit www.tsn.ca/tradeat25 now for exclusive video content including “Gretzkys Children” and vintage news clips from the day the trade broke. Photo galleries, social media content and exclusive Gretzky trade-based stories will also be available on the site throughout the week. ' ' '