Hiroki Kuroda hopes to bounce back from his first loss in nearly a month when the New York Yankees begin a three-game set with the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium.
Kuroda lost to Atlanta on Tuesday, as he allowed four runs and six hits with three walks in seven innings to fall to 6-7, while raising his ERA to 3.57.
"I think I was trying to be too perfect with all my pitches, and I was really being aggressive in the first three innings," Kuroda said. "In that [fourth] inning, I wasn't being aggressive."
Kuroda has never faced the Indians, but could be in some trouble, as Cleveland owns the best record in the league against right-handed starters at 32-19.
Cleveland will hand the ball to righty Josh Tomlin, who is 3-4 with a 5.12 ERA. Tomlin did not get a decision on Tuesday against Cincinnati, but was terrific, as he allowed a run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 3-2 win.
Tomlin is 2-1 in three starts versus the Yankees with a 4.26 ERA.
Cleveland enters tonight's tilt on the heels of dropping a series to the Houston Astros, losing the last two games, including a 7-1 setback on Sunday.
Derek Lowe (7-6) dropped his third straight decision and fifth out of six for the Indians, who gave up 15 runs in the last two games after Friday's shutout.
Casey Kotchman had a pair of hits in defeat.
"We struggled, big time, offensively the whole series," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "When you score four runs in a three-game series, there are times when you don't even win a ballgame."
New York, meanwhile, has won two in a row after a thrilling win on Sunday that saw Robinson Cano break an eighth-inning tie with a home run, carrying the Yankees to a 6-5 win over the Mets in the Subway Series finale at Citi Field.
Nick Swisher added a three-run homer while Mark Teixeira brought home a pair of runs for the Yankees, who had lost three in a row before taking the final two games against the Mets.
"They have great power," Mets manager Terry Collins said about the Yankees. "They hit balls out of ballparks like there's nothing to it. That's their lineup. They go up there to hit a homer."
The Yankees lead the majors with 112 home runs.
Boone Logan (2-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 perfect innings in relief of CC Sabathia, who allowed five runs -- one earned -- on nine hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings.
Rafael Soriano worked around a two-out single in the ninth to secure his 15th save of the season.
The Yankees went 4-3 against the Indians last season, including 3-1 in the Bronx.
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