With the Yankees closing in on a postseason spot, they may have to complete their run without Brett Gardner. The 30-year-old speedster strained his oblique on a checked swing during Thursday’s game and is being sent to New York for an MRI examination.

After the Phillies pounced with a six-run first inning, right-hander Roy Halladay lost his command in the fifth of Thursday night’s 10-5 victory over the Padres at Citizens Bank Park.

Thrust into a high-leverage situation for the first time this season, Rubby De La Rosa faltered on Thursday night at Tropicana Field as the Red Sox ended a mostly successful seven-game road trip with a 4-3 loss to the Rays.

Tyler Thornburg continued his case for a significant role in 2014, working six quality innings of the Brewers’ 5-3 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Thursday.

All-time saves leader Mariano Rivera entered to protect a ninth-inning lead in his final regular-season appearance at Camden Yards on Thursday night, but due to a scoring quirk, the Yankees closer was credited with the victory instead of a save.

An O’s team that has won more than four consecutive games just once this season continues to plod along at a frustrating .500 pace, with Thursday’s 6-5 loss to the Yankees dropping them to 4-4 on the homestand and 1 1/2 games back of New York in the American League Wild Card chase.

Kelly picked up his first loss since joining the Cardinals’ rotation on July 6, and the Cardinals fell, 5-3, to Milwaukee before 35,208 fans at Busch Stadium.

Wil Myers belted a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning as the Rays recorded a 4-3 win over the Red Sox on Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez was removed from Thursday night’s game against the Giants as a precautionary measure with mild tightness in his left hamstring, the same hamstring that disabled him for a month earlier in the season.

The Angels completed a three-game series sweep at Rogers Centre with a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays on Thursday night, thanks to 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball by Garrett Richards, seven outs by the bullpen and timely hitting by the offense.

There are only three remaining Cave Dwellers now, out of an initial wave of about 20,000 offseason applicants for a dream job, all likely bound for a World Series, site unknown: Angels fan Danny Farris of Garden Grove, Calif.; Rangers fan Mina Park of Plano, Texas; and Blue Jays fan April Whitzman of Toronto.

Pirates lefty Jeff Locke notched his first win since July 21, and 10th of the year, as the Pirates downed the Cubs, 3-1, on Thursday night at PNC Park. The Pirates, who won their fourth straight game, are tied for first place in the NL Central with the Cardinals, who lost to the Brewers on Thursday.

The Orioles gave Mariano Rivera his latest retirement gift as he makes a final pass through the American League, honoring the longtime Yankees closer in a pregame ceremony on Thursday night at Camden Yards. Baltimore commissioned a sculpture depicting a baseball shattering a bat, following a theme echoed by several other clubs in paying tribute to the all-time saves leader.

Right-hander Justin Masterson — who strained his left oblique muscle in his Sept. 2 start against Baltimore and had to leave the game in the second inning — played catch before Thursday’s series opener against the White Sox.

Neither Yadier Molina nor Trevor Rosenthal were available Thursday night against the Brewers, both are away from the team for personal reasons.

While Chad Billingsley has begun a throwing program following Tommy John surgery, Matt Kemp and Chris Capuano are still hoping to return to the Dodgers before the end of the season.

Four homers helped the Wild Card-seeking Nats roll to their sixth straight win, while Denard Span’s hit streak reached 23.