Kuroda, Teixeira Help Yankees Avoid Toronto Sweep 5-3

Since May 28's rubber game in St. Louis, Yankees' Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda has failed to get a win.

The 39-year-old right-hander, an unfair 4-5 going into tonight, hasn't been terrible during the month-long drought, something ruined by a recurring lack of offensive support.

Fortunetaly, that annoying absence of justice ended in this evening's contest in Toronto, as Kuroda got a solid five runs from his bats in a much-needed, 5-3 victory, ending the Yanks' four-game losing streak.

As expected, the night didn't start particularly well for #18, who surrendered a home run to Jose Reyes on the first pitch he threw.  

Still, Kuroda did pitch overall nicely for the Bombers, cruising through 6.1 innings while giving up just 3 earned runs, evening up his record at 5-5 and lowering his ERA to 4.12.

No, those numbers aren't perfect, but thanks largely in part to a four-run top of the third they were good enough to get the W.

In that frame, the recently-activated Francisco Cervelli tied it up with a double, followed later by an RBI Single from Jacoby Ellsbury and a line-drive, two-run homer from Mark Teixeira, his team-leading 14th of the year.

After those four crossings of home, Blue Jays' Starter Drew Hutchison was destined to lose, with his final line eventually reading 6 innings with no further damage. 

In the top of the seventh, the aforementioned Teixeira drove home an insurance run with a bases-loaded sac fly, setting up a pretty stress-free seventh, eighth, and ninth frames, in which Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton, and Adam Warren each recorded an out.

Following Warren in the bottom of the eighth was Closer David Robertson, who retired each of the five guys he faced for his 18th save of the season.

Interestingly, the late action was the first for Robertson since last Wednesday, when he also shutout the Jays in a game at Yankee Stadium.