Kuroda Is Stung by Two Early Homers, and a Line Drive Off His Calf Lyle Overbay after striking out in the first inning against Jason Hammel (6-2), who gave up two runs and six hits in six and two-thirds innings. He struck out six. BALTIMORE - Hiroki Kuroda had already given up two home runs when he proved incapable of avoiding a heat-seeking line drive off the bat of Manny Machado in the second inning Wednesday. The ball ricocheted off Kuroda's right leg and bounced toward third base for a single. Joe Girardi, the Yankees" manager, made a beeline to the pitcher's mound from the dugout, a team trainer in tow. It was the beginning of the end for Kuroda in the Yankees" 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, where Kuroda - so reliable this season - got completely battered, in more ways than one. Kuroda, who sustained what the team called a bruised right calf, left the game in the third. He gave up five runs on eight hits, his earned-run average swelling to 2.67 from 1.99. His record dipped to 6-3 as the Yankees capped their three-game series by losing their second straight. Girardi said he would be shocked if Kuroda missed his next scheduled start. Still, when Machado's line drive struck Kuroda on the fleshy part of his calf, Girardi could not help but have flashbacks of the comebacker that sent Andy Pettitte to the disabled list last season with a fractured ankle. Kuroda was fortunate. "It was a precaution," Kuroda said of his early exit. If I had to push myself, I might have continued to pitch. For the seventh time this season, the Yankees (28-18) turned to Kuroda after a loss, and Girardi had no reason to expect anything less than another sturdy effort. In his last outing, Kuroda allowed two hits in eight innings as he guided the Yankees to a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. But after leaning on pinpoint control throughout the early part of the season, Kuroda lacked his usual precision against the Orioles. "He made some mistakes," Girardi said. Most of them came in the first inning. It was a sign of things to come when Machado, hitting second, flew out to the warning track. Nick Markakis promptly stepped to the plate and demolished a slider, sending the ball over the center-field wall for a home run. After Adam Jones singled, Chris Davis turned on a sinker and delivered a two-run homer. Kuroda had not allowed a home run since May 7. Suddenly, only five batters into Wednesday's start, he had given up two. When Matt Wieters extended the inning with a double, Girardi felt it prudent to have the pitching coach Larry Rothschild pay Kuroda a visit. While Kuroda was able to escape without any additional damage, it was clear that he was dancing along the edge of a blade, with little margin for error. Though his poor first inning was an anomaly, Kuroda has had a tendency to be more effective as games wear on. Opponents are hitting .299 against him in the first three innings this season. From the fourth inning on, however, they are hitting a microscopic .147. Unfortunately for Kuroda, he never got the chance to work deep into the game against the Orioles. In the third, having already taken Machado's line drive off his leg, Kuroda gave up a double to Jones and a single to Davis. That hit ended Kuroda's night after 55 pitches, as Girardi summoned reliever Preston Claiborne to face Wieters with runners at the corners. Wieters pounced on Claiborne's second pitch, a fastball, and hit a three-run homer for a 6-1 lead. After the two teams split a pair of 10-inning games, Wieters's blast put a premature end to any drama. "I didn't execute the pitch," Claiborne said. If I'd put it where I wanted it, I more than likely would've gotten a good result. The Orioles (25-21) got a quality start from Jason Hammel, a right-hander who went six and two-third innings, surrendering six hits and two runs while striking out six. Hammel's only problem was the emergence of Curtis Granderson, who entered the game with four hits in 23 at-bats since making his season debut last week. Granderson, who fractured his right forearm in spring training, went 3 for 3 with a walk, a double and a home run. "I liked how he was swinging the bat, and I felt like it was only a matter of time before he started getting some hits," Girardi said. With Kuroda starting on the mound, Granderson's one-man show at the plate figured to give the Yankees a fighting chance. Kuroda has not needed much run support this season, but the Orioles had other plans. Mark Teixeira (wrist) and Kevin Youkilis (back) both got six at-bats Wednesday in a simulated game, while Joba Chamberlain (oblique) pitched an inning in his rehabilitation assignment and felt "good," according to Joe Girardi.