The New York Yankees shutout AL East rival Baltimore 3-0 in a Sunday night matchup in the Bronx. Yankee starter Hiroki Kuroda (2-1) pitched a complete game and allowed five hits and struck out five to earn his fifth career shutout.
"I thought his sinker was excellent," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told ESPN of his starter after the win. "Look at all the groundball outs he got."
Kuroda forced 18 groundball outs, and the Orioles didn't get a runner past first base until Nick markakis took second on Adam Jones' bouncer to third in the ninth. "I was able to throw my sinker with precision," Kuroda said through an interpreter.
Brett Gardner gave Kuroda extra run support with a 2-run homer in the fifth inning that followed a Jayson Nix sacrifice fly ball. The homer was Gardner's first of the 2013 season.
The win puts New York back at .500 with a 6-5 overall record. The Yankees now own sole control of second place in the AL East and trail first place Boston by 1.5 games, despite facing numerous injuries to their starters.
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