Braves may rest Sheffield for Pirates' series

Gary Sheffield may sit out the rest of the Braves&#39; series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.<br> <br> Sheffield, who sprained his left thumb last week, says he didn&#39;t feel any pain when he practiced swinging the bat Monday.<br> <br> But manager Bobby Cox wants to make sure Sheffield is fully healed before returning him to the lineup. Cox told Sheffield to only take easy swings during batting practice. But Sheffield couldn&#39;t help himself -- he let go on one ball that flew out of the park. His thumb was heavily taped and padded.<br> <br> Monday was the first time Sheffield has hit since he was injured in batting practice last Tuesday.