BALTIMORE — Having placed Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list earlier in the day, the Yankees have their fingers firmly crossed there is nothing seriously wrong with Brett Gardner’s right arm.

Gardner was hit on the back of the elbow at the bottom of his triceps muscle in the eighth inning of Wednesday night’s 7-0 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards by Dylan Bundy. He remained in the game but was removed before the home ninth.

“It’s a little sore, the arm is a little stiff,” said Gardner, who underwent X-rays that were negative.

Gardner was waiting until Thursday to see how the problem impacts his availability or how long he will be sidelined.

“I will have a better idea [Thursday],” said Gardner, who drove in a run by getting hit by the pitch. “Sometimes it can be worse the second day.”

Having added lefty reliever James Pazos to take Rodriguez’s roster spot if Gardner is out for a few days the Yankees will be down to two bench players, Dustin Ackley and Austin Romine.

“We have done it before, we will figure it out,” manager Joe Girardi said.

If the Yankees were winning it would take the sting out of Chase Headley’s extremely slow start.

“It’s tough having the team going through tough things as well,” the switch-hitting Headley said before the game. “You can still struggle and contribute when the team wins.”

Headley went 1-for-4 (an infield single in his final at-bat) and is hitting a woeful .153 (11-for-72) with a .406 OPS. Of his 11 hits, none are for extra bases and he has more strikeouts (18) than hits.

As strange as it sounds, Headley said he believes things have been better recently even if the results haven’t.

“Honestly, I feel good at the plate and I am seeing the ball well,” Headley said. “That’s always the first step. Now if I get a couple to drop I can put this in the rear view mirror.”

Jacoby Ellsbury played in his 1,000th career game and went 3-for-3 with two walks and two stolen bases.

Carlos Beltran replaced Rodriguez as the DH and continued his assault on Orioles pitching. Beltran went 1-for-4 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly and has at least one hit in 13 of the last 14 games versus the Orioles. He is hitting .375 (18-for-48) in that stretch.

Nick Swisher’s name surfaced when the Yankees were discussing how to fill Rodriguez’s roster spot Wednesday when the DH went on the DL.

However, the Yankees opted for Pazos instead of a hitter. While the switch-hitting Swisher is batting .306 (19-for-62) with a .801 OPS in 16 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre he is having trouble running.

“It’s hard to look at,” said a person who has followed Swisher’s attempt to get back to the big leagues after being released by the morbid Braves at the end of spring training.

“We talked about a lot of guys,” Girardi said when it came to replacing Rodriguez.

Since his legs won’t allow him to play the outfield the only reasonable way for Swisher to return to the Yankees is if first baseman Mark Teixeira is injured. Even then the Yankees could turn to Dustin Ackley.

With the last-place Yankees having lost six straight and 14-of-18 entering Wednesday night’s action, Girardi hadn’t heard from Yankees boss Hal Steinbrenner.

“It’s not uncommon,” Girardi said. “I hear more from him at home and see him more at home.”

While Buck Showalter objected to being behind the Yankees not being able to take batting practice twice Tuesday because the tarp was on the field yet the Orioles hit before the game, Girardi mentioned the sky didn’t cry.

“It didn’t seem to rain,” Girardi said Wednesday. “I don’t know, I wasn’t out there. It’s the grounds crew’s choice.”

The Yankees had a 2 p.m. hitting session canceled because the tarp was on the field. As the Yankees prepared to take regular batting practice after the O’s were done the tarp was put back on the field and forced the Yankees into the cages.

The Yankees weren’t pleased about it and Showalter said the notion he was behind the decision to tarp the field was a slap at groundskeeper Nicole McFadyen.

“She takes a lot of pride at being the best in the business,” Showalter told reporters before Wednesday’s game. “That’s really an insult to her that a writer or someone would insinuate that. We have a lot more things to worry about than that.”

Showalter said the O’s began their BP early so the Yankees would have a window to hit.

Last summer Steinbrenner included Pazos among the list of prospects the Yankees wouldn’t deal. However, Pazos hasn’t lived up to that billing. In 11 big league games a year ago the lefty reliever worked five innings, gave up three hits and three walks. Wednesday, Pazos, who turns 25 Thursday, was summoned from Triple-A where he worked nine games. He was 1-1 with a save. In 12 innings he fanned a dozen.