Orioles ambush Kuroda in first inning (Wieters homers)

Hiroki Kuroda shut out the Orioles on five hits in his first start against them on April 14 in New York. Tonight, the Orioles strung together four hits with two outs in the first inning and took a 3-0 lead. I'm pretty sure that's Kuroda on the mound, but he doesn't resemble the same pitcher who shut them down with such ease in the Bronx. Kuroda had allowed three home runs in his first nine starts. He served up two in the first inning tonight, with Nick Markakis clearing the fence in right-center field and Chris Davis following Adam Jones' single with a long two-run shot to center. Markakis extended his hitting streak to seven games. He's 11-for-29 with three doubles, a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored. Davis upped his season totals to 14 homers and 43 RBIs. It could have been worse for Kuroda. Manny Machado flied to the fence in left-center field before Markakis stepped to the plate. Vernon Wells almost left an imprint on the padding. Matt Wieters doubled off the out-of-town scoreboard for the Orioles' fourth consecutive hit. Kuroda threw 23 pitches in the inning, eight more than Orioles starter Jason Hammel, who stranded Curtis Granderson (single) and Travis Hafner (walk) in the top of the first. Hammel struck out Lyle Overbay looking to end the inning. The Orioles are 16-10 this season when scoring first. They're 19-15 when they homer. Update: This game is dragging along, but the Orioles don't mind the pace. Wieters greeted Yankees reliever Preston Claiborne with a three-run homer in the third inning to give the Orioles a 6-1 lead. Kuroda is charged with a season-high five runs and eight hits in two-plus innings. He left the game after a second visit from the Yankees head athletic trainer, apparently still bothered by the shot off his right leg from Machado in the second inning. Jones doubled and Davis singled before Wieters belted his seventh home run. Hammel gave up a run in the top of the third on a leadoff double by Granderson and Robinson Cano's single. Overbay grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to bail out Hammel, who was laboring. Hammel has thrown 56 pitches in three innings. Kuroda threw 55.