Hiroki Kuroda tosses eight scoreless innings as Yankees blank A’s, 2-0

Yankees’ offense gives Kuroda just enough room

OAKLAND, Calif. – Having tallied 15 runs on 26 hits the previous two days against Oakland, the Yankees’ lineup slipped into a predictable slow-drip pattern for Hiroki Kuroda.

The Yankees had averaged three runs per Kuroda’s first nine starts.  Two runs were all they gave him Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum. “We have a great lineup and sometimes with a great lineup you don’t get many hits and you don’t score many runs,” said Kuroda, who encountered a similar drought as a Dodger last year. “You just have to pitch your game and stay tough out there.”

Supported mainly by an effective sinker and sharp slider, Kuroda tossed eight shutout innings against a punch-less Athletics lineup. “Hiro was outstanding,” said Derek Jeter after the Yankees sealed a three-game sweep with their 2-0 victory before 25,078 fans.

via Hiroki Kuroda tosses eight scoreless innings as Yankees blank A’s, 2-0 – NorthJersey.com.