MLB

Yankees shut out Indians, but Colon likely headed to DL with leg strain

As Bartolo Colon has baffled hitters and shocked Yankees observers all season, one thought has constantly been in the background: Can he stay healthy?

Yesterday, the answer came back no.

Colon strained his left hamstring covering first base in the seventh inning of the 4-0 Yankees win over the Indians at the Stadium. Colon was sent to New York Presbyterian Hospital for an MRI exam. The results were not immediately available.

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The Yankees tried to stay optimistic after the game, but the likelihood is Colon is bound for the disabled list for an extended period of time, and they are going to have to dip into the minor leagues to find a new starting pitcher.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Curtis Granderson, who hit his 20th home run of the season. “He’s pitched extremely well for us, especially against all the odds with people saying he can’t do it and hadn’t done it in so long. He’s done everything and more that we needed him to do.”

Colon began yesterday’s game looking as good as he has all season. His two-seam fastball had ridiculous movement on it and he used a mix of several different fastballs to blow the Indians away. He had six strikeouts against the team that signed him originally in 1993. He allowed just two hits and held the opponent scoreless for the third time in his last five starts.

In the seventh, Shin-soo Choo hit a hard, two-out grounder up the first-base line that Mark Texieira made a nice play on. Running to cover first, Colon began to limp and took a while to get to the base. He immediately came out of the game and was replaced by David Robertson.

Colon (5-3, 3.10) added to his impressive resume this season, with his third-straight win.

“Bartolo is throwing the ball like a legitimate No. 1 starter in the American League East,” said Alex Rodriguez, who homered for the second straight game. “His stuff is unbelievable, through the charts. I have him right now as Cy Young type guy in ’05. That’s the same type of stuff that he’s throwing with. To have two aces with CC [Sabathia] and him, give [GM Brian] Cashman a lot of credit. That was the signing of the century.”

Now, Cashman will have to turn to his farm system for a replacement. Adam Warren, David Phelps and D.J. Mitchell are the candidates to take Colon’s spot, according to a source.

The source said Hector Noesi was already slated to return to The Bronx today to replace Amaury Sanit, who has an elbow injury. The plan is for Noesi to remain in the bullpen, though.

Colon’s injury overshadowed the Yankees’ second straight win over the Indians that featured another beanball and three more Yankees home runs. Granderson, Rodriguez and Teixeira all went deep to provide the offense.

In the sixth, Indians starter Mitch Talbot hit Rodriguez in the left thigh two innings after his solo home run. Rodriguez dropped to the ground, and Talbot was thrown out of the game by home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna a night after the benches cleared when Fausto Carmona hit Teixeira.

“I’m tired of it,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said for the second straight day. “Our guys get hit entirely too much. We’re a club that hits home runs and people don’t necessarily like that.”

The Indians threatened in the eighth inning, getting two singles off Robertson to start the inning and then advancing to second and third on a balk. But Robertson got three straight strikeouts to escape the jam.

After the sweep by the Red Sox, the Yankees have shown no hangover effect.

“We got embarrassed here against Boston and we got punched right in the mouth,” Rodriguez said.

“We’ve counter-punched here and come back and played really well the last two games.”

brian.costello@nypost.com