PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates probably thought they were in for another long night. They arrived home in Pittsburgh at 3:33 a.m. Friday after the second game of their doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles went into extra innings. The Pirates appeared on their way to playing another late one Friday night when Pedro Alvarez hit a tying two-run homer off Sergio Santos in the ninth. But two batters later, Starling Marte followed with a winning drive into the bullpen in left-centre, giving the Pirates a 6-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Manager Clint Hurdle, who moved Marte from batting leadoff to the seventh spot in the lineup Thursday and six-hole Friday, hopes the win can get his players and team some "traction." "Its been a while since Pedro has been able to ride one out of the ballpark," Hurdle said. "Martes at-bats have gotten bigger, none bigger than that one. Those kind of at-bats can create a spark, create more momentum and more traction." Marte knew the ball was gone as soon as he hit it. "Thats what I want," Marte said. "No matter what spot I hit in." Santos (0-2) entered with a 5-3 lead and allowed a leadoff single to Neil Walker. He struck out Andrew McCutchen, and Alvarez followed with his seventh homer this season. Pinch-hitter Ike Davis flied out, and Marte hit the first game-ending homer of his big league career. Alvarezs homer broke a two-week home run drought for the third baseman who led the National League last season. "Obviously, (hitting the home run) feels really good," Alvarez said. "It kept us in the game, but of course anytime I can get a clutch hit for the team, to contribute to a W, its huge." Mark Melancon (1-1) pitched a hitless ninth for the win. After converting his first four save chances this season, Santos has blown three of his last four for the Blue Jays, who have lost seven of their last nine games and continue to have issues in the bullpen. "We played such a great game today and it stinks to blow it," Santos said. Toronto manager John Gibbons noted the injuries to reliever Casey Janssen and Dustin McGowan as aspects that have hindered the Blue Jays performance at the end of games. "Its a totally different look and I think were suffering for it," Gibbons said. "But the game doesnt let you up." McCutchen had three hits for Pittsburgh, which outhit the Blue Jays 17-10. The Pirates won for just the third time in 13 games and the fifth time in their last 20. Pirates starter Gerrit Cole allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings, failing to reach the sixth for the first time in six starts this season. Cole said he was "a little off" Friday night. "I wasnt executing a handful of pitches there," Cole said. "They beat me on some good pitches." Torontos Brandon Morrow gave up three runs and 11 hits in five innings. After walking eight batters in his last start, Morrow walked just one Friday. "I just forgot about that and went out and threw the way Id been throwing before that," Morrow said. "I wasnt thinking about that and I dont think it was strange to come out and have good command today." In his first at-bat in Pittsburgh since 2008, Jose Bautista hit a two-out double in the first and scored on a double by Edwin Encarnacion. Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead on Jordy Mercers run-scoring, double-play grounder in the second and McCutchens RBI single in the third. Colby Rasmus hit his sixth homer of the season in the fourth, a two-run drive, and Bautista had an RBI double in the fifth that made it 4-2. McCutchens run-scoring single cut the deficit in the bottom half, but Toronto regained a two-run lead in the sixth on pinch-hitter Steve Tollesons run-scoring, two-out triple off Justin Wilson. Hurdle was keen not to forget about Casey Sadler making his major league debut Friday night. Sadler pitched two scoreless innings, gave up a hit and struck out one. "He was able to come in and keep the game right where it was," Hurdle said. "Not to be lost in everything else that went on because he kept it right there at a two-run deficit." NOTES: Bautista has a 12-game hitting streak and has reached based in all 29 games hes played this season. ... Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (2-3, 5.09 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday against Francisco Liriano (0-3, 3.97). Cheap Trevor Hoffman Jersey . Browns advice worked. Irving scored 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 88-82 Saturday night. Irving made his first shot of the night on a layup a little over three minutes into the game. Cheap Dave Winfield Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. http://www.cheappadresjerseys.com/ .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games. Cheap MLB Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Cheap Ozzie Smith Jersey . With the Rangers already leading 2-0, Carey Price was taken down early in the second period of New Yorks 7-2 pounding of the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday afternoon.WASHINGTON -- General manager George McPhee and coach Adam Oates lost their jobs with the Washington Capitals on Saturday, about two weeks after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007. "We were left with the overall impression that the team wasnt trending toward being able to compete for a Stanley Cup," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in a news conference at the clubs arena. "And that was just a clear signal and why it was time to make those changes." McPhees contract was up and the team announced it will not give him a new one after his 17 years as the GM, which included drafting Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom in the first round. Oates was fired with one season left on his three-year deal. A former star player for the Capitals, he was in his first job as an NHL head coach. Washington finished this season with the ninth-most points in the Eastern Conference, one spot out of a playoff berth. "You have to do something to pivot the team to be an ongoing strong team," Leonsis said. "And I just felt that new leadership at this time was needed, and lets start it with a clean slate." Asked whether any player would be untouchable as part of upcoming changes -- a chance, perhaps, for Leonsis to mention captain and top scorer Ovechkin -- the owner replied: "Im not the general manager. So If the general manager comes with something, we would listen to the general manager." Ovechkin has won three league MVP awards and again led the NHL in scoring this season with 51 goals, but the Capitals havent made it past the second round of the playoffs during the Russian wings career. Dick Patrick, the president of the Capitals, said the team already has drawn up a list of potential GM candidates. "Typically, youd like to have a general manager in place and have him choose a coach," Patrick said. The Capitals reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1998, McPhees first year on the job, and were swept by the Detroit Red Wings. Later, MMcPhee oversaw a "rebuild" ordered by Leonsis, including jettisoning top players with big contracts such as Jaromir Jagr.dddddddddddd "Lets not forget that rebuilding process was dramatic. And I watched a great executive go through really, really hard times and really rebuild that team quickly. We just didnt get there," Leonsis said. "At some point, you just have to try something different." While McPhee eventually built a young roster filled with offensive stars, he never placed as much emphasis on constructing a rugged, defensive-minded blue line crop. He hired a succession of coaches with zero previous NHL experience running a team, including Glen Hanlon, Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter and Oates. Led by Ovechkin, the Capitals produced terrific regular-season results for a half-dozen seasons, without similar success in the post-season. Four years ago, Washington won the Presidents Trophy for having the most points during the season, then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Leonsis called McPhee, who built seven division-winning teams, "a talented man, a great friend," but that it was time for "a fresh set of eyes." The Capitals went 65-48-17 under Oates in his two seasons. In a brief statement released via the team, Oates called it "a tremendous honour to coach the Capitals these past two seasons" and said he was "grateful for the opportunity." In his first season in charge, which was shortened because of a labour dispute, Washington reached the playoffs with a late surge before losing in the first round to the New York Rangers in seven games. "We were a continuously improving playoff team until we werent. And the last two seasons showed us that we need to improve. And thats what it came down to," Leonsis said. "Dick and I said, We have to make that gut check. Do we have to change? And where do you start? And you start with the coach and the general manager." Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '