Lowrie leaves Astros to have MRI on thumb

SAN DIEGO -- Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie is scheduled to fly to Houston on Tuesday to undergo an MRI exam on his right thumb, which he injured while sliding home in the eighth inning of Monday night's 9-4 win over the Padres at Petco Park.

Lowrie said the thumb was sore and swollen, but cautioned he wasn't going to overreact until he got the results. Lowrie was on second base when he raced home on a single by Colby Rasmus, saying his knee stuck in the dirt and caused him to land awkwardly on his thumb as he crossed the plate.

"I just stuck," he said. "I've slid like that my whole life. I always slide on my left side and drag my knee across. Today it was like I just stuck. My knee hit and stuck and I flipped over and my hand was in the way."

Video: HOU@SD: Lowrie connects for a solo home run

The injury comes at a bad time for Lowrie, who went 2-for-3 against the Padres and blasted his fourth homer of the season. Lowrie is hitting .476 (10-for-21) with a .621 on-base percentage during a road trip in which the Astros have a 6-1 record.

"He's swinging the bat well and fits right in the middle of our order," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "The way he conducts at-bats, we want to hope for the best, but we're not sure."