Cora, Lowell being checked out

The phones are ringing in Pawtucket.

With Mike Lowell sustaining a thumb injury last night, and Alex Cora feeling a "twinge," according to Terry Francona, the call has gone out to the PawSox to make sure a player is ready in case they need him. Looks like that might happen, but we'll know more after both players are examined this afternoon.

Lowell went for an MRI after coming in stiff and sore this afternoon. The MRI will be read by Dr. Thomas Gill when he arrives around 5 p.m. today.

Cora, meanwhile, went out to take some ground balls at third base around 3 p.m., and felt a "twinge in his elbow," Francona said. The team is hopeful that it was just a momentary sensation, but they're not going to rush to judgment. He was iced after he felt the twinge, and was not around in the clubhouse in the pregame availability.

The likely candidates for promotion from Pawtucket are Keith Ginter, Joe Thurston, and Jed Lowrie. Obviously the first two are veterans, with Lowrie still a rookie, so it depends on how the team wants to go, if a move is, in fact, necessary.