both innings against him, but their only run

Jack Sock is starting to make a habit of winning big matches, a newfound talent that may be ushering in a new era in American tennis.Sock, 24 years old and already the highest-ranking player from the U.S. at No. 24, upset No. 12 seed Richard Gasquet on Thursday at the ATP Paris Masters 1000 in a three-setter just shy of three hours. Socks explosive forehand, improved mobility and increasingly well-rounded game have enabled him to log some resounding wins since his early loss in the Olympic games in Rio.Since then, Sock has beaten Marin Cilic at the US Open (where the former champion was the No. 7 seed), Shanghai No. 5 seed and Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and German wunderkind Alexander Zverev. On Wednesday in Paris, he took out Dominic Thiem handily before his hard-fought win against Gasquet.For years now, Sock has been touted as the successor to Andy Roddick. Hes been hailed by some as the player who might accomplish the feat that has eluded John Isner, long the top-ranked U.S. player in the post-Roddick era: a Grand Slam triumph that might kick-start the American mens game.Like Roddick, the last U.S. Grand Slam champion, Sock is a native Nebraskan. His game also is anchored in an atomic forehand abetted by a powerful serve. Theres a physicality about Socks game that is reminiscent of Roddick at his most persuasive. At 6-foot-3, Sock is an inch taller, if not quite as broad-shouldered.Against Thiem, an Austrian 23-year-old who is every bit as much a muscular worker, Sock dominated in true Roddick-style, winning 91 percent of his first-serve points, backing up those fireballs with forehand blasts mixed with occasional off-speed backhands and even drop shots. Thiem never saw a break point.However, Socks similarity to Roddick also carried a price tag. It quickly morphed into pressure. It didnt help that Socks game was raw and his temperament unschooled. Thus Socks development was relatively slow. He also had to learn to live with the pressure. At times before this summer, it was intense.People love to do comparisons [to Roddick], Sock told USA Today in August. But you just have to brush it off and keep focusing on what youre doing, on trying to get better. No matter how well you do, theres always people who are going to hate or have better expectations.Sock had trouble distancing himself from other promising newcomers, including Ryan Harrison and Donald Young. They would all flare, then struggle. The only reliable American since 2010 has been that other late bloomer, Isner. He hit a career high of No. 9 in 2012 and has been a top-20 player -- and the leading U.S. male -- for most of his career. But hes 31 years old now and ranked four places below Sock.Isner is 6-foot-10 and still dangerous, and he will remain so as long as that serve continues to lock and load. But he lives and dies by it. Isners size and long limbs impair his mobility. His game is poorly suited to the way tennis is played today, whereas Socks is right in tune with his times during what might be an era of transition on the ATP Tour.In October, Sock was a quarterfinalist at the Shanghai Masters 1000 and a finalist in Stockholm for the second year in a row. Hes 14-5 since the start of the US Open. Sock has been on fire in doubles as well. He partnered with Steve Johnson to earn the bronze medal at the Olympics in Rio and won the mixed-doubles gold medal with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Since the US Open, Sock has made the final in all three doubles events hes played, winning in Shanghai and the Swiss Indoors.Those triumphs brought his record in doubles finals to 8-8 (including two Grand Slam titles), a mark Sock must wish he could duplicate in singles. Hes just 1-4 in tournament finals, with his lone win coming on the red clay of Houston in 2015. Thiem, by comparison, has four tournament wins -- and thats just this year.All those doubles wins, though, foster positive energy for Sock. As he said after he won the Wimbledon doubles title with Vasek Pospisil in 2014, Any match you win, especially in Grand Slams, playing in the second week can only help your confidence in all aspects of tennis.Doubles, as John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova once shouted from the rooftops, isnt merely a confidence-booster. It also helps hone your game. It can be especially useful for todays under-25 pros, who were trained with a heavy emphasis on groundstrokes, at the expense of the net game. In Stockholm, one key to Socks win over Zverev was his creative use of slice and sharp angles, stuff straight out of the doubles playbook.But Sock has redoubled his focus on singles this year. With some interesting fellow countrymen such as?Taylor Fritz,?Frances Tiafoe?and Jared Donaldson coming on fast, theres never been a better time for Sock to step into those big shoes left by Roddick. Harmon Killebrew Jersey Large . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Custom Twins Jerseys . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. http://www.customtwinsjersey.com/ . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Twins Jerseys China . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Authentic Custom Twins Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rougned Odor was ready to hit for the Texas Rangers with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning. He instead ended the game by getting hit.Odor was hit by a pitch, forcing in the winning run and capping a three-run rally that gave the AL-best Rangers a 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.Recent acquisition Carlos Beltran tied the game at 4-all with his fourth hit, a two-run single, after John Axford (4-4) had walked the bases loaded. Marc Rzepczynski then came on and the As opted to intentionally walk Adrian Beltre, who hit a grand slam in the series opener Monday, to reload the bases with one out. The next pitch hit Odor on the shoulder.The pitch he threw me was really, really in, Odor said. And I was like, `Im not going to move. Ill take that pitch, and well win the game.Rzepczynski, who primarily throws sinkers into lefties like Odor, was trying to induce an inning-ending double play grounder.I threw one and it ran instead of sank. And it ran right into his shoulder, the lefty reliever said. That sums it up right there.Oakland had tied the game in the ninth off closer Sam Dyson, then took a 4-2 lead in the 10th when five of its first six batters reached against Keone Kela (4-1), the sixth Texas pitcher.Dyson struck out the side in the ninth, but also gave up three hits and a run for his fourth blown save in 31 chances. The As had been 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position before Danny Valencias two-out RBI single tied the game at 2.Kela, the sixth Texas pitcher, got all three of his outs on strikeouts, between three hits and a walk.The As lost their fourth straight, dropping a season-high 16 games under .500. At 52-68, they are 18 1/2 games behind Texas in the AL West after their 19th loss this season in which they led the game by multiple runs.Texas (71-50) has won nine of 13 after its first game-ending hit by pitch with the bases loaded since Sept. 11, 2010, against the New York Yankees.Since Ive joined the ballclub I have seen the energy in the clubhouse and the energy in the dugout day in and day out, said Beltran, the 39-year-old switch-hitter traded from the Yankeees two weeks ago.dddddddddddd. They could be three runs behind or four runs behind and feel they can come back. Having that attitude is really great to see for me.Rangers manager Jeff Banister said he felt no deflation whatsoever from his players in the dugout even after the As tied the game in the ninth and went ahead in the 10th when Yonder Alonso had an RBI double and scored on Ryon Healys single.I dont think its in their DNA, Banister said after his teams MLB-best 38th come-from-behind victory. Theyre going to continue to grind.A FREE PASS WITHOUT GETTING HITTexas went ahead 2-1 in the seventh, when Odor led off with a rare walk, only his 12th coming in his 476th plate appearance this season. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Elvis Andrus.WHAT A RELIEFAlex Claudio threw four scoreless innings for the Rangers after taking over for starter Lucas Harrell, who left after two innings because of a right groin strain. Harrell will have an MRI on Wednesday.TOUGH STARTHarrell faced only 12 batters, allowing three hits and four walks. The As loaded the bases both innings against him, but their only run came when Valencia drew a bases-loaded walk in the second for a 1-0 lead.TRAINERS ROOMAthletics: 2B Jed Lowrie will have season-ending surgery after being on the DL since Aug. 5 with lingering left foot issues. Lowrie will have a bunion removed from his big toe, but manager Bob Melvin said there is also ligament damage.Rangers: RF Shin-Soo Choo is scheduled to have surgery Wednesday to have a plate inserted near his left wrist and forearm where he got hit by a pitch. ... LHP Derek Holland, eligible to come off the 60-day DL on Sunday, could make his next start for the Rangers.UP NEXTAthletics: Rookie LHP Sean Manaea (4-7, 4.57 ERA) is 2/3 with a 3.27 ERA in nine games since coming off the DL on June 29.Rangers: RHP Yu Darvish, pitching one day after his 30th birthday, will try to beat the As for the first time since he first faced them in 2012. He is 0-8 in his last 10 starts against the AL West rival. ' ' '