"The relieved look on Hiroki Kuroda's face in the clubhouse needed no translation.

The Dodgers scored as many runs for the Japanese pitcher Sunday as they had in his four previous starts combined.

"I'm not really used to having this many runs," Kuroda said through an interpreter after the Dodgers' 7-0 victory over the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.

Kuroda thanked his teammates for their support by limiting the Astros to five hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings.

It was Kuroda's sixth consecutive quality start of at least six innings in which he gave up three earned runs or fewer, but the right-hander went only 2-4 over that stretch because the Dodgers averaged only 2.7 runs in those games.

"Everybody knows Hiro hasn't been getting the run support that we want him to," said catcher Dioner Navarro, whose two-run homer in the second inning was one of three homers the Dodgers hit Sunday. "He's been outstanding for us the whole year."

The seven runs tied the most support the Dodgers have given Kuroda (8-14) in any game this season."