New York Yankees right-hander Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven strong innings in a spring game against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, giving up two earned runs on six hits while striking out six.
Kuroda opened with four scoreless frames, allowing only one single apiece in the first, third, and fourth innings. He left the game with a 3-2 lead after limiting the damage to two runs on a wild pitch and a solo homer.
"Overall, I thought it went well," Kuroda said. "I didn't allow back-to-back hits, so even when runners got on base I could usually get out of the inning."
"I'm about where I want to be for the regular season," he said.
The Braves led off the fifth with a Jason Heyward hard grounder that took an unpredictable hop and bounced off first baseman Mark Teixeira's glove for a single.
Heyward stole second and advanced to third on Jose Constanza's flyout to center. With two out and Braves pitcher Brandon Beachy at the plate, Kuroda threw a wild pitch that allowed Heyward to score. Beachy's flyout ended the inning.