Yankees' Brett Gardner leaves game with left oblique injury

Brett Gardner left Thursday's game with an apparent left oblique injury. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images) New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner left Thursday

Brett Gardner left Thursday's game with an apparent left oblique injury. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner left Thursday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles with a left oblique strain, according to Anthony McCaron of the New York Daily News.

Gardner led off the game by striking out. According to the YES Network's Jack Curry, Gardner appeared to hurt himself by checking his swing on a 3-2 pitch. Gardner was replaced by Curtis Granderson in center field in the bottom half of the inning.

If the injury is serious, it would be a big blow for a Yankees team that suddenly has found itself in the thick of the race for the second American League Wild Card spot. The Yankees sit only a game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the fifth and final playoff spot in the AL.

Gardner is batting .273 with eight homers , 52 RBI, and a .344 OBP this season. He also has 24 stolen bases.

YES showed replay of Gardner's check swing on 3-2 pitch. After swing, he reached down and touched his left side, near oblique. Stay tuned.

— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) September 13, 2013