ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Yu Darvish showed no rust after missing three weeks. Darvish allowed seven hits over seven innings in his season debut, Elvis Andrus hit a two-run homer, and the Texas Rangers avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 on Sunday. "He was in control of the game," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He was using his pitches. He was throwing strikes. And thats what he does." Darvish (1-0) struck out six and walked one. Sidelined by neck stiffness, it was his first outing since a spring training game on March 16. "I didnt feel anything unusual," Darvish said through an interpreter. Darvish got his 500th career strikeout, coming in 401 2-3 innings, by fanning David DeJesus and Wil Myers in the first. According to the Rangers, it is the fewest innings for a starter to reach 500 strikeouts in major league history. Andrus put the Rangers up 2-0 with his homer off Joel Peralta (0-1) in the eighth. Donnie Murphy made it 3-0 on an RBI infield during the ninth. "Hes going to get five a year, and today was one of them," Washington said of Andrus homer. "It was huge. We needed it. Today, he drove the bus." Neal Cotts replaced Alexi Ogando for the Rangers with two on and two outs in the eighth, and struck out Matt Joyce on a 3-2 pitch. Joakim Soria pitched the ninth for his first save. Alex Cobb scattered three hits, walked one and struck out six in seven shutout innings for the Rays. "Unfortunately for us, he was really on," Cobb said of Darvish. Only one runner reached second against Cobb. "He didnt give up any pitches," Andrus said. "I thought he was painting the whole game. Im really glad that we had Yu out there. He was doing the same thing for us." Tampa Bay had runners on second and third with one out in the fifth, but failed to score when Myers hit an infield pop fly and Ben Zobrist flew out. Darvish got three consecutive outs after allowing Evan Longorias double to lead off the sixth. He also worked out of a jam during the seventh after Ryan Hanigan hit a leadoff double. "We just did not get the knocks when we needed it," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. The Rays were hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position against Darvish, and 0 for 11 overall. "As usual, youve got a team over there that fights forever," Washington said. "They put themselves in some good positions to score some runs, but Yu made the pitches when he had to." Notes: Darvish was activated from the 15-day disabled list and RHP Nick Martinez was optioned to Double-A Frisco. ... Rangers RHP Colby Lewis (hip surgery) gave up four runs and four hits over five innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock. ... Texas LHP Joe Saunders (bruised left ankle) is not expected to be ready for his regular bullpen session Monday and could miss his next start. ... Texas RHP Tanner Scheppers (0-0) will face Boston RHP John Lackey (1-0) Monday night in the opener of a three-games series at Fenway Park. ... Tampa Bay LHP Matt Moore (0-1) and Royals LHP Jason Vargas (0-0) are the scheduled starters for Monday nights game in Kansas City. Cheap NHL Jerseys Store . Braden Calverts Winnipeg rink rallied to defeat Italy 8-7. After giving up three points in the second end, Calvert came back with a single, then stole two more points in the next two ends to tie it up at the fifth-end break. Cheap Ottawa Senators Jerseys . At 11:06 of the first period, Neal struck Marchand with his knee when Marchand was down on the ice. Marchand remained in the game. Neal was assessed a kneeing penalty for his hit on Marchand. http://www.nhljerseysauthentic.com/?tag=...matthews-jersey. Algeria led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger South Korean second half performance to claim its first World Cup win since 1982 and move into second place in Group H with one match left to play. Defeat for South Korea means it must now beat already-qualified Belgium to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . They named Mark Washington as their defensive co-ordinator on Thursday and appear to be closing in on an offensive co-ordinator. Cheap Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys . That little deal worked out in a big way for the Mavericks. Nowitzki had 21 points Tuesday night to pass Oscar Robertson for 10th on the NBAs career scoring list, leading the Mavs to a 95-83 victory over the Utah Jazz.SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Convicted Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy said he wants to remain with the Carolina Panthers beyond this season. Hardy addressed the media before Sundays practice but refused to answer specific questions about his recent conviction on two domestic violence charges except to say, "I hate that I have distracted my team." Hardy, the teams franchise player, was convicted this month of assaulting a female and communicating threats and sentenced to a 60-day suspended jail sentence and 18 months probation following a May 13 incident in which he attacked his ex-girlfriend in his apartment. Hardy is appealing the conviction. When asked directly and indirectly about his conviction, Hardy replied on six different occasions "I cant answer that question." Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman last week refused to discuss how the conviction might impact Hardys long-term future with the team. Gettleman would only say Hardy is under contract for one season. Gettleman had briefly considered a long-term contract for Hardy earlier this off-season, buut eventually made him the teams franchise player.dddddddddddd Hardy quickly signed the one-year tender in March, paying him $13.1 million for one season. Hardy said he was glad to sign the tender. "Its awesome," Hardy said. "I get to stay another year and hang out with my guys and play some football. Nothing really wrong with that." Hardy said his goal is to re-sign with Carolina at some point. "I love this place," Hardy said. "This is a great atmosphere. I love the ownership (and) my teammates. I have had a great five years here." Hardy, entering his fifth NFL season, tied a franchise-record with 15 sacks last season and has 26 over the past two seasons as a starter. Hardy is clearly hoping his on-field success outweighs the negative publicity he created off the field. Asked if he thinks he will remain in Carolina long term, Hardy said, "We will see. Play a good season and hopefully when you talk to Mr. Gettleman you can convince him to keep me." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '