JUPITER, Fla. — Shortstop Orlando Cabrera has a herniated disc in his back and will need at least a week of rest, Montreal Expos general manager Omar Minaya said Thursday.

        The injury was revealed in an MRI on Wednesday. Cabrera underwent further tests and team doctors were considering giving him a cortisone shot, which would require up to a week of rest.

        Minaya said the injury does not require surgery.

        GIANTS: Robb Nen's sprained left ankle may not be as bad as originally thought, but the closer will not throw off a mound for at least a week. Nen was able to walk Thursday without a noticeable limp.

        RED SOX: Manager Grady Little replaced pitching coach Ralph Treuel with former Yankees bullpen coach Tony Cloninger.

        Treuel accepted a player development position with the Red Sox. Cloninger, who was a scout for San Francisco, spent 15 years in the Yankees organization and was New York's pitching coach in 1993.

        PIRATES: An MRI on second baseman Pokey Reese's sore right elbow revealed no structural damage. Reese has not played since Saturday and has been told to rest for three or four more days.

        YANKEES: Left-hander Andy Pettitte will test his strained left elbow in a minor-league intrasquad game today. He says the elbow is 95 percent healthy, and he is expected to throw about 40 pitches.

        It will be Pettitte's first game action since being scratched from a start last Friday.

        • Roger Clemens remains on target to make Sunday's scheduled start. He threw 45 pitches during a bullpen session Thursday, two days after being hit by a batted ball near his right ankle.

        “Just a shade of discomfort, that's it,” Clemens said. “It's onward.”

        FAREWELL TO ARMOR: Bob Watson, baseball's vice president for field operations, will be emphasizing a rule that limits the type of body armor that can be worn during at-bats.

        An edict was put into place last year that elbow pads can't be longer than 10 inches and must be covered by nylon. But many players, including San Francisco's Barry Bonds and Houston's Craig Biggio, wear heavy body pads that allow them to crowd the plate without fear of breaking a bone on a hit by pitch.

        To wear a pad longer than 10 inches, a player will need to show a medical reason for it.

        THURSDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS:

        • Mets 6, Indians 4 — Roger Cedeno, Mike Piazza and Mo Vaughn hit solo home runs off Charles Nagy, who allowed six runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

        • Tigers 4, Marlins 0 — Detroit starter Jose Lima gave up just two hits over five innings.

        • Rangers 6, Blue Jays 2 — Dave Burba pitched five shutout innings for Texas. Rusty Greer added three hits, including a solo homer, and Rafael Palmeiro hit a two-run homer.

        • Pirates 8, Royals 6 — Mendy Lopez and Rob Mackowiak each drove in two runs in the ninth inning as Pittsburgh rallied.

        • Cardinals (ss) 4, Dodgers 1 — Albert Pujols and Mike DeFelice homered off Andy Ashby for St. Louis.

        • Cardinals (ss) 6, Expos (ss) 0 — Stubby Clapp drove in five runs and Bud Smith allowed three hits in five innings for St. Louis.

        • Diamondbacks 11, Cubs (ss) 7 — Erubiel Durazo hit a three-run, pinch-hit home run as Arizona rallied from a five-run deficit. Chicago starter Juan Cruz pitched five scoreless innings.

        • Padres 11, White Sox 8 — San Diego's Trenidad Hubbard hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to provide the winning margin.

        • Giants (ss) 7, Cubs (ss) 1 — Kurt Ainsworth pitched four scoreless innings, and Shawon Dunston had a single, double, triple and three RBI for San Francisco.

        • Rockies 9, Angels 8 — Todd Helton went 4-for-5 and Colorado rallied for five runs in the eighth inning. Anaheim's Lou Pote gave up five hits and a walk in the eighth.

        • Giants (ss) 5, Mariners 4 — Reggie Sanders hit two homers and David Bell one for San Francisco.

        • Twins 10, Red Sox 7 — Michael Cuddyer was 4-for-5 with two doubles and Minnesota scored eight runs off Boston's Tim Wakefield.

        • Braves 5, Astros 5 — Keith Ginter evened the score for Houston with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly. Kevin Millwood went four innings for Atlanta, allowing five hits and three runs, but had two RBI.

        • Orioles 5, Expos (ss) 2 — Baltimore's Jason Johnson allowed two hits and struck out five in four innings.

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