Sheffield out with sore hand

Sheffield out with sore hand
EDS: RESTORES dropped word "sore" in lead; DELETES extraneous punctuation penultimate graf
CHICAGO (AP) -- Atlanta Braves star Gary Sheffield was out of the lineup for Saturday's Game 4 of the division series against the Chicago Cubs because of a sore left hand, the result of being hit with a pitch the previous night.
Sheffield was hit by Mark Prior in the sixth inning Friday night during the Cubs' 3-1 win. He hopped in pain before going to first base and stayed in the game.
"They're going to work on him all morning and through the game," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said.
"I don't know if he will be able to pinch-hit or not. We'll see. But the X-rays were negative and he just really has a sore hand."
Darren Bragg will start in right field in place of Sheffield, who had struggled in the first three games of the series, going just 1-for-10. He was 0-for-2 with a walk Friday when the Cubs took a 2-1 series lead.
Sheffield batted .330 this season with 39 homers and an Atlanta club-record 132 RBIs. But for the second straight season, he's struggling in the playoffs.
When the Braves lost in the opening round to the Giants last year, Sheffield was just 1-for-16.
"He is one of the premier hitters in the game and you'd certainly like to have him in there," Cox said. "Although when Darren Bragg has subbed for him this year, we've won just about all the games he's played. So maybe Darren will be our good luck charm."
Bragg was 0-for-1 while appearing in just one game of the series against the Cubs. During the season, he batted .241 with no homers and nine RBIs in 104 games.