PORTLAND, Ore. -- The odds stacked against his underdog side, Croatian captain Zeljko Krajan was brimming with confidence Sunday morning before the reverse singles match in the Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against United States.Marin Cilic and Borna Coric backed up their captains belief in a stirring rally, winning matches to give Croatia a 3-2 comeback victory at the Tualatin Hills hard courts.Today, I knew they were going to bring the quality, Krajan said.Cilic got in started, beating John Isner 7-6 (11-9), 6-3, 6-4. Coric then topped Jack Sock 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.The U.S. lost for the fourth time in 161 tries when leading 2-0 lead in a Davis Cup tie.After the United States swept the singles matches Friday, Cilic and Ivan Dodig kept Croatia alive Saturday with a four-set victory over twins Bob and Mike Bryan in doubles.Its really unbelievable, Krajan said. I would say shocked from this win. Looking back on Friday and being 2-love down and then playing against the Bryans yesterday, it didnt look very positive for us.Croatia will host France -- a 3-1 winner at the Czech Republic -- in the World Group semifinals Sept. 16-18. Croatia reached the semifinals for the first time since 2009. It won its only Davis Cup title in 2005.In the other semifinal, defending champion Britain will host Argentina.Cilic set the tone for the comeback against Isner, a decision that was closer than the score indicated. Cilic won a marathon tiebreaker in the opening set, then broke Isners serve once in the next two sets to pull out the win.The opening set was riveting. Isner was hot, allowing Cilic to win only one point during his first 25 serves. But the American was unable to break Cilic, forcing a tiebreaker. Cilic won a couple points off Isners serve late in the tiebreaker to pull out an 11-9 win, setting off a torrent of emotion along the Croatia sideline.That was definitely a tough task, but I stayed in there mentally, Cilic said. I was very, very focused.Isner was clearly disappointed he didnt get the jump on Cilic.The first set was critical. Felt like I definitely was the better player in the first set. Didnt get paid off, but thats on me. He came up with the goods when he needed it. That gave him a lot of confidence, I think, Isner said.U.S. captain Jim Courier disagreed that momentum swayed in Croatias favor after Cilic pulled out the first set.Thats not the way we look at it. First sets can be critical ... these matches are won on small margins. There are a couple points that go our way, and were sitting here with a smile on our face instead of a little disappointment, Courier said.Unlike Fridays first singles match, when Cilic lost after leading Sock by two sets, the worlds No. 12-ranked player finished off Isner by breaking him in the ninth game to pull out a 6-4 win.Cilic is 6-0 against Isner.The 19-year-old Coric is becoming a reliable closer for Croatia. It was the second time this year Coric won a fifth and deciding match to win a Davis Cup tie.I have to be honest. I like that kind of situation, Coric said. I like it more than playing on Court 27 somewhere, somewhere far away from the crowd. I just like the big stage more, when its more important.After splitting the first two sets against Sock, Coric won the final two sets by breaking the Americans serves four times. Corics performance was decidedly stronger than his three-set loss to Isner on Friday.I was much more relaxed, Coric said. I was hitting the ball, going for the points. I just wasnt waiting for him to miss, because I knew I cannot play like that because hes going to kill me with the forehand.Sock, who beat Cilic in a five-setter Friday, was upbeat despite dropping the finale.Obviously, I had chances and opportunities that I didnt convert. Thats tennis. Some days its firing and some days theyre missing a little bit. He played a great match, Sock said.Croatia is 4-0 in Davis Cup ties against the United States. Air Max 1 UK .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Wholesale Nike Shoes UK . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. 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OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics could be providing a look into their future to an American League West rival when right-hander Raul Alcantara makes his major league debut Monday afternoon in the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.The 23-year-old, acquired by the As along with Josh Reddick from Boston in 2011 for reliever Andrew Bailey, has been almost unhittable at Triple-A Nashville since an in-season promotion. Hes gone 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA in his last eight starts, a stretch in which hes struck out 32 and walked just three.Its his time, As manager Bob Melvin proclaimed before Sundays series finale against the Boston Red Sox. Were excited about watching him.The As also will promote another of their top prospects, right-hander Jharel Cotton, to start Wednesday against the Angels.Cotton was one of three pitchers acquired this season at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Dodgers when the As dealt away Reddick.Alcantara will start in place of left-hander Sean Manaea, who is battling a sore back.He can only hope to be as effective as Kendall Graveman was Sunday in a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.Graveman shut out the Red Sox on six hits over 6 1/3 innings, setting the stage for a walk-off win that allowed Oakland to snap a five-game losing streak.Alcantara will be opposed by Angels right-hander Jered Weaver, who made his major league debut 10 seasons ago. He shut out the Baltimore Orioles on three hits over seven innings that nightt en route to an 11-2 rookie year.ddddddddddddThe 33-year-old is just 10-11 with a 5.21 ERA this season, but both marks have improved significantly in his last two starts, during which hes beaten the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds, allowing only three runs in 12 innings.Weaver has gone 14-11 with a 2.77 ERA in 36 career starts against the As. The ERA is his lowest among all teams hed faced more than 15 times.The veteran pitched a three-hit shutout in his previous visit to Oakland on June 19.Angels manager Mike Scioscia made it clear after Weavers previous start that he has no intention of replacing his top pitchers with prospects just because his club is out of playoff contention.Our philosophy and the way were going to approach every day, he said, is to go out there and win a game by starting with the first pitch of the game and winning that pitch and winning situations and going out there and playing the game the way we need to play it.The Angels flew south from Seattle on Sunday night without right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who remained hospitalized for observation after being hit in the head by a line drive in LAs 4-2 win over the Mariners.Shoemaker was diagnosed with a small skull fracture.The Angels (61-75) won two of three in the series and have opened a three-game lead over the As (58-79) in the battle to escape last place in the AL West. 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