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PITTSBURGH -- Anibal Sanchez spent six innings toying with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his electric stuff rendering the Pirates innocent bystanders. When the Detroit starter finally wobbled, Pittsburgh wasted little time knocking him over. Pedro Alvarezs two-run double sparked a seventh-inning rally and the Pirates streaked by the Tigers 5-3 on Wednesday night. Travis Snider added an RBI double and Jordy Mercer laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to cap the four-run burst and abruptly end Sanchezs evening. "I dont think as a team we ever check out in the seventh inning," Snider said. "Weve had a lot of late comebacks weve had a lot of great rallies off bullpens and starters late in the game." The victory was Pittsburghs eighth of the year when it trailed after six innings and pushed the Pirates to a season-high 13 games over .500 (33-20). Bryan Morris (2-2) picked up the win in relief of A.J. Burnett. Jason Grilli pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 22nd save. Miguel Cabrera hit his 15th home run for Detroit. He flied out to the wall in right field with a runner on to end it. Neil Walker -- whose solo home run in the 11th inning produced the only run in a 1-0 Pittsburgh victory in Detroit on Tuesday night -- provided the only two hits through off six innings off Sanchez. The righthander looked nearly as dominant as he did in his previous start, when he one-hit the Minnesota Twins. Sanchez retired 16 of 17 batters at one point and appeared to have all the cushion he needed when Andy Dirks doubled home Don Kelly with one out in the fifth and Cabrera followed two batters later by poking a 92 mph fastball from A.J. Burnett into the seats in right field for his 15th home run, giving the Tigers a 3-1 lead. Watching Sanchez buzz through the first six innings on just 67 pitches, Detroit manager Jim Leyland didnt even have anyone up in the bullpen when things quickly unraveled. Garrett Jones singled with one out in the seventh, Russell Martin walked on four pitches and the floodgates opened. "It was kind of a freaky thing," Leyland said. "He just walked a guy and all of a sudden kind of lost it there momentarily." Alvarez followed by driving a ball to the wall in left-centre, scoring both runners. Snider took the next pitch and hit it off the wall in right with Alvarez just beating the relay throw to put Pittsburgh in front. "We knew as hitters we had to grind," Snider said. "If hes going to make a mistake, its going to be early. Pedro did a great job jumping on him early, so did Jones. Russell the same thing, getting on base. Before they were able to get anything going in their bullpen we were able to get to him in that inning." Snider moved to third on a wild pitch, then darted home when Mercers bunt stopped just in front of the pitchers mound. Its one of the few times the squeeze has worked for the Pirates under manager Clint Hurdle. "It was kind of surprising," Mercer said. "In those situations all you want to do is put it in fair territory somewhere. I was able to deaden it. It actually worked out really well for both sides." Sanchez allowed five runs on seven hits in 6 2-3 innings, walking one and striking out nine while his ERA rose from 2.38 to 2.79. "I think I missed some pitches and they hit them," Sanchez said. "I take responsibility, thats part of the game. Before that inning I thought everything was working good, especially location." Pittsburghs late surge allowed Burnett to escape his fourth straight loss. The Pirates have struggled to support their ace this season and had scored just five runs total in his previous five starts. The right-hander had issues with his command but managed to stay out of trouble until the fifth, when Kellys leadoff walk started a three-run burst. Burnett gave up three runs on five hits, walking four and striking out four. Burnett was long gone by the time Alvarez got things going. Tony Watson worked the eighth and Grilli -- who struck out the Tigers in order in the 11th on Tuesday -- stayed perfect in 22 save chances when Cabrera flied out. NOTES: Detroit OF Torii Hunter sustained a contusion on his left elbow after getting hit by Morris fastball in the seventh. Hunter said the pain made him "dizzy" but X-rays were negative. ... Tigers CF Austin Jackson is likely heading to Triple-A Toledo this weekend while he recovers from an injured left hamstring thats had him on the disabled list since May 12. Leyland said hed like to test Jacksons hamstring before activating him ... A Pirates season ticket holder provided Grilli with a fish tank that includes three small sharks and a blowfish. Grilli and setup man Mark Melancon have nicknamed Pittsburghs bullpen the "Shark Tank." ... The Pirates are 24-1 this season when leading after seven innings ... The series concludes on Thursday. Pittsburghs Jeff Locke (5-1, 2.45 ERA) will look for his sixth straight victory. Doug Fister (5-2, 3.65 ERA) starts for the Tigers. Buy Air Max Plus Australia . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Air Max Plus Australia Online . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. http://www.airmaxplusaustralia.com/ . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Cheap Air Max Plus Australia . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Air Max Plus Australia . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. TORONTO -- Masai Ujiri left one of the NBAs biggest success stories this season to salvage a team that has never tasted triumph. And when the new Toronto Raptors general manager was introduced to the media on Tuesday, he summed up his decision with two simple words: "Im home." "It was a tough decision to leave Denver. It was an easy decision to come here," Ujiri told a jam-packed news conference at Air Canada Centre. "Im home. I love Toronto. I love this place." The NBA executive of the year with the Denver Nuggets replaces Bryan Colangelo, the man who was once Ujiris mentor in Toronto. The 42-year-old Ujiri was an assistant GM with Toronto for three seasons before leaving for Denver in 2010. Colangelo remains the Raptors team president in a non-basketball role, while Ujiri is president and GM of basketball operations. The Nigerian-born Ujiri has been tasked with turning around a franchise that hasnt made the playoffs in five years, and has only advanced past the first round once in 18 seasons. But he said he sees a "sleeping giant" in Toronto. "Why cant I change it? Its not all bad, theres plenty good about it," he said. "Its our job to make it better. Its our job to create a winning environment and thats why Im here." Besides, his sense of responsibility to Africa is so strong, he has "no other choice but to be successful." "Thats the only place in my life where I actually feel pressure, for a continent that big and that great, and to have this opportunity here...," said Ujiri, the first African-born GM in North Americas four major sports. "For me, its an obligation, I have to (succeed), I have to do well for my continent." One of Ujiris first decisions concerns the fate of coach Dwane Casey, who has a year left on his contract. Ujiri said he wont rush his decision. "Ive talked to Dwane Casey a couple times and were going to sit down and I want to understand what his philosophies are and Ill tell him what my philosophies are or what I think needs to be changed," said Ujiri, who added he didnt see "any reason" why Casey wouldnt coach the team next season. The new GM said he owes a lot to Colangelo, who gave him an opportunity to be an NBA executive, but when asked if hell seek basketball input from his former boss or from Raptors senior adviser Wayne Embry, Ujiri made it clear whos in charge. "Im on the hot seat now," Ujiri said. "Ill take Bryans input when I feel its necessary, Wayne has always been a great mentor to me, but at the end of the day, Im going to put my staff together and were going to figure this all out collectively," he said. "But basketball decisions are going to be my decisions, so it doesnt matter who tells me what or how its done, at the end of the day, Im sitting right here on the hot seat." Ujiri emphatically denied suggestions the relationship between the current and former GM could be awkward. "Theres no issue with Bryan Colangelo," he said. "No issue. None whatsoever. Zero zero issue. None." Ujiri will have some tough decisions to make right off the bat with a Toronto team that has no pick in either the first or second round of the NBA draft, and is currently over the leagues luxury tax threshold. He will also have to decide which of the Raptors burdensome salaries to elimiinate -- if he will indeed eliminate any -- using the amnesty clause.dddddddddddd Ujiri says hell evaluate the talent at his disposal in the coming weeks but believes "there are good pieces on this roster," he said. "There are phenomenal players on this roster (but) we have some things we need to correct." One pressing concern is the future of much-maligned Italian forward Andrea Bargnani. Hes a player whose welcome in Toronto has long been worn out, but one who Ujiri believes possesses a valuable skill. "Shooting big is what every coach wants, and how you use it and how you do it is left to be said. But he has that skill," Ujiri said. "My thought on Andrea is hes one of the better shooting bigs in the NBA." Ujiri has had some success with tricky manoeuvring in the past, earning respect for his handling of the Carmelo Anthony trade to New York. Ujiri cobbled together a Nuggets team that won a franchise-best 57 games this season despite having no all-stars. Denver went an NBA-best 38-3 at home to finish third in the powerful Western Conference, helping Ujiri garner the leagues top executive honour to go with George Karls coach of the year award. He remains a huge supporter of African basketball, and said his new job in Toronto -- where he reportedly signed a five-year contract worth as much as $15 million -- will give him the financial flexibility to do even more in his homeland. "I can go and help more people, we can build more courts, we can do more camps, we can help more kids come to school in the States, and I can continue to help with the NBA and the platform theyve created with Basketball Without Borders (the NBAs global outreach program)," he said. Ujiri represents the first major hiring for Tim Leiweke, the recently-appointed president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd. Leiweke says Ujiri was his top pick for the job from Day 1 -- despite the belief around the league that Ujiri would never leave Denver for Toronto. "Some of the comments from other people in the league, especially league office, was Do you think you could set your sights any higher?" Leiweke said. The MLSE president talked about creating a new culture in the Raptors, and praised his new young GM for his "juice" and "energy." When asked why fans should believe the latest positive spin on the struggling franchise, Leiweke said: "I inherit, I didnt create." "So this is today, and we move forward from here," he added. "I know the team (Ujiri) is putting together, I know the staff hes putting together ... youll see. I think its time for this organization once and for all to stop spinning and just go do our job." Ujiri wouldnt elaborate on what his new management team will look like, except to say he prefers small staffs. The Raptors front office has already felt his presence with the firing of Ed Stefanski, executive vice-president of basketball operations, on Sunday, among others. Leiweke said the team is also considering rebranding -- meaning potentially a new look or even a new name -- but emphasized a major change isnt a given, but that it will be part of the conversation. "We have to honour the tradition and history of what the Raptors are," he said. "But we also need to hear the fans and what they want to see." ' ' '