Pirates Vs. Blue Jays: Alex Presley Leads Bucs To Victory In 2011 Debut

Newcomer Alex Presley led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-6 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto Tuesday night, as the Pirates moved to 40-38 on the year.

Presley, making his 2011 debut after being recalled earlier this week, hit a two-run homer in the third inning and then added an RBI single in the fourth.

The Pirates' 6-1 lead after three and a half innings quickly shrank, however, as Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, then scored on an error by Chase D'Arnaud in the sixth. After a solo homer by Andrew McCutchen that made the score 7-4, reliever Tony Watson allowed back-to-back homers by Corey Patterson and Edwin Encarnacion (who had also hit another solo homer, in the third inning) in the seventh to close the lead to 7-6.

Jose Veras and Joel Hanrahan were able to preserve the lead for the Pirates, with Hanrahan picking up his 23rd save.