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speedy OF Eric Young Jr., who Girardi said could join the club when rosters expand later this week.ROYALS MOVESRHP C
Novak Djokovic has seemed like a man often having an argument with himself since he was unexpectedly knocked out in the third round of Wimbledon in July. Once an uncomplicated, all-business competitor, a less motivated, more philosophical Djokovic has emerged in recent months.Signs of this tension in Djokovic were on display Tuesday evening at the ATP World Tour Finals in Londons O2 arena in what was the closest thing he has ever had to a must-win round-robin match. The familiar, fierce competitor ultimately prevailed as Djokovic punched through to the semifinals with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) win against Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, against whom he is now 9-0.But it wasnt without signs of his ongoing interior struggle.If I had to pick one thing [to explain why I won], I would say it was my just hanging in there mentally, waiting for my opportunity to come, Djokovic said in his on-court interview after the match. Milos was playing very well. It was a very close match, just a few points separated us.True, but ...How often did the dominant Djokovic of recent memory allow an opponent who has never beaten him reach set point after Djokovic had forged ahead by a break?There were dangerous lapses against Raonic, who is capable of taking an opponents racket out of his hand with the sheer efficiency of his monstrous serve. Just as significant, Raonic led by a mini-break in each of the tiebreakers. His wounds from that point on were largely self-inflicted. Put them down to an understandable lack of confidence in key moments.Djokovic has probably dallied in like fashion before, but rarely at this event and in this venue, where he has routinely been at his zenith. He has won 20 of his past 21 matches at the O2 and captured the title four years in a row.All that raises a question: Why would anyone mindful of Djokovics 23-0 record against the other three men in his group call this round-robin engagement a must-win match?For one, Djokovic was recently stripped of his No. 1 ranking by Andy Murray. If Djokovic hopes to get it back and finish the year ranked No. 1, he will need to win one more match than Murray. Murray won his opener and plays Kei Nishikori on Wednesday (9 a.m. ET on ESPN3).?Heres another reason: Despite that 0-9 record against Djokovic, Raonic might be the best player who has yet to win a major. Hes hungry, dedicated and on the cusp of a breakthrough prefigured when he eliminated Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals.But perhaps most important, Djokovic is under pressure to show hes not at war with himself. His identity as a hard-edged tennis champion is in conflict with self-absorbed concerns about his evolution as a person and the peace-and-love philosophy espoused by his Svengali-like adviser, Pepe Imaz.Things have gotten complicated for Djokovic in recent months. His nerves have showed signs of fraying. He has had a year that qualifies as spectacular, with two Grand Slam titles and a career Grand Slam in the books, yet his struggles after Wimbledon have been conspicuous.If he wins this event for a fifth consecutive time and retakes the top ranking, the losses in his past four outings will pale in significance. The crushing defeats inflicted by Juan Martin del Potro in the Olympic Games and Stan Wawrinka in the US Open final will be put down to his minor injuries.It was a very close match, Djokovic told reporters after beating Raonic. It really could have gone either way.It was a close match against Raonic, one that could have gone either way. But the important thing for Djokovic is that hes safely in the semifinals and on pace with Murray -- and nobody can argue with that.Fake Yeezys Outlet . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Fake Yeezys . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. http://www.fakeyeezysforsale.com/fake-yeezy-350-cleat/ .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. Fake Yeezys 2019 .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Cheap Fake Yeezys . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Royals manager Ned Yost simply ran out of options in his beleaguered bullpen.Peter Moylan had pitched for the fourth straight day. Matt Strahm had gone consecutive days for the first time in his career. So, he summoned former starter Chris Young to the mound to hold down the Yankees, and he managed to get through one shaky inning before everything unraveled.Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro led off the 13th with hits, and Brian McCann delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly off Strahm, as New York escaped with a 5-4 victory Wednesday night.What other options did I have? Yost said with a touch of chagrin. Unless I could have pulled somebody out of the stands -- `Hey, youve ever pitched before?Ben Heller (1-0) pitched a perfect 12th for New York to earn his first major league win, which Dellin Betances wrapped up by working around a leadoff walk for his seventh save.Everybody was calm under pressure, said Yankees reliever Adam Warren, who contributed to seven shutout innings from the bullpen. It was kind of neat to see Ben get his first win.Castro hit a two-run homer for the Yankees. Kendrys Morales hit one for Kansas City.We went through the trade deadline and I still felt we could win in here and these guys are showing it, said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, whose club is just 2 1/2 games out of the second AL wild-card spot. Theres a toughness in there and these guys really want it.The Royals appeared to have quickly erased the memories of their rain-delayed, 5-4 loss in 10 innings the previous night when Morales homered for the second straight game with two outs in the first.Kansas City added another run off Luis Cessa in the second on an error by third baseman Chase Headley and a timely double by Alcides Escobar, then made it 4-0 when Eric Hosmer homered to left in the third.Ian Kennedy was cruising along for Kansas City until the sixth, when Gregorius lofted a sacrifice fly to left field. Castro followed moments later with his two-run shot.Kennedys night was done when he walked Aaron Hicks with one out in the sixth. Scott Alexander came in and gave up a single to Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsburys tying sacrifice fly to center.Both teams had chances to push runs across before the 13th inning.ddddddddddddhe Royals Raul Mondesi drew a leadoff walk in the seventh and Jarrod Dyson dropped a sacrifice bunt to get him to second base with only one out. But Mondesi got caught straying between second and third, and Cheslor Cuthbert promptly struck out to end the inning.In the 11th, Salvador Perez walked and pinch-runner Billy Burns stole his way to third. He wound up stranded there when Paulo Orlando ripped a line drive right at Castro at second base.The Yankees loaded the bases with one out in the 12th, but Gary Sanchez lined out to Cuthbert at third base and Mark Teixeira chopped a grounder to shortstop to end that threat.The off day is going to do us good tomorrow, Yost said. Everybody is going to be able to recharge a little bit. Its going to be good for us to just relax a little bit.YANKEES DEALThe Yankees sent OF Ben Gamel, the MVP of the International League, to Seattle for minor league RHPs Jio Orozco and Juan De Paula on Wednesday. They also sent cash to Milwaukee for speedy OF Eric Young Jr., who Girardi said could join the club when rosters expand later this week.ROYALS MOVESRHP Chien-Ming Wang was placed on the DL with biceps tendinitis after tossing two scoreless innings on Tuesday night. The Royals shored up their taxed bullpen by recalling Alexander and RHP Brooks Pounders from Triple-A Omaha and optioning INF Christian Colon to the same club.TRAINERS ROOMYankees: Hicks left the game after grounding out in the ninth, limping his way to the dugout with a right hamstring strain. Im concerned, Girardi said. Its probably not a day-to-day thing.Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain (sprained wrist) got the night off. Hes been playing in pain for about two weeks. Its been pretty sore, Yost said. Its not a thing thats going to heal in a week.UP NEXTThe Yankees take Thursday off before sending RHP Chad Green to the mound to start a three-game set in Baltimore on Friday night. LHP Danny Duffy gets the call for the Royals when Detroit visits Friday night to open their three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. ' ' '