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Kuroda stellar as Yankees blank A's

May 28, 2012 - 1:16 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Hiroki Kuroda gave up just four hits in eight innings Sunday and the New York Yankees shut out the Oakland Athletics, 2-0, to finish off a three-game sweep.

Kuroda (4-6) snapped a two-start losing streak, striking out three and walking one while throwing 67 of his 104 pitches for strikes.

The 37-year-old righty wasn't given the chance to pick up his first shutout in almost four years. Rafael Soriano worked around a Josh Reddick single for his fifth save of the season.

Andruw Jones belted a leadoff homer in the second inning for the only run the Yankees needed for their fifth straight win.

Derek Jeter led off the game with a single to pass George Brett for 14th place on the all-time hits list with 3,155.

The A's dropped five in a row to finish 1-5 on a six-game homestand and were swept for the first time this season. They will start a six-game road trip Monday against the Minnesota Twins, and A's manager Bob Melvin said they might benefit from some time away.

"We're beyond pressing at this point. We have to try to relax," said Melvin. "We're trying too hard; we have to try a little easier."

Tommy Milone (6-4) took the loss in 6 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and two walks.

The Yankees got nothing out of a bases-loaded situation in the first inning, but took the lead on Jones' first-pitch homer to left-center field leading off the second.

It was New York's seventh home run of the series.

"They say the ball won't carry much here," said Jones, "but we came in and swung the bat great and got a bunch of homers."

It remained 1-0 until Curtis Granderson singled to start a two-out rally in the seventh inning, coming home on Mark Teixeira's double to the right-center field gap.

Ryan Cook came in for Milone after that and got Alex Rodriguez on a grounder to end the inning, but the A's couldn't muster any runs. They ended 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and stranded four runners.

Game Notes

Jones hit his fifth homer of the season...Kuroda's only two shutouts came in 2008 with the Dodgers: on June 6 over the Cubs and July 7 against the Braves, when he carried a perfect game into the eighth inning...The Yankees' winning streak comes on the heels of a 1-6 stretch. They will continue their nine-game road trip with the first of three in a row against the Angels in Anaheim on Monday...Cal Ripken Jr. is 13th on the all-time list with 3,184 hits.