Braves Coach Loses Eye to Rogue Foul

Five clubs sign sponsorship deals with distillers

(NEWSER) - Big-league baseball teams are hitting the hard stuff. After years of sponsorship from beer companies, five ball clubs this year have teamed up with liquor brands. The spirit of choice: tequila, which saw the biggest sales jump among spirits between 2001 and 2010. “Lots of people think of beer and hot days together, but we have a lot of fans who are interested in spirits,” an Atlanta Braves rep tells MarketWatch . “And for female fans, we can offer margaritas.” More»

(NEWSER) - Mark Kotsay knocked in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning with a two-out RBI double, and the Atlanta Braves edged the Oakland Athletics 3-2 Friday night for their eighth straight home victory. The loss was a season-high fourth in a row for the A's, who have dropped six of seven on their current nine-game road trip. More»

Pirates rally to snap Atlanta's six-game win streak

(NEWSER) - Freddy Sanchez singled home Brian Bixler with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves tonight. Sanchez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and is 9-for-17 in four games since being moved to the top of the Pirates' lineup. John Grabow (2-1) struck out one in a scoreless ninth to earn the win. More»

(NEWSER) - Tim Hudson pitched his 11th career shutout and Brian McCann hit a two-run homer, helping the Atlanta Braves end a season-high four-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds last night. Hudson (4-2) gave up just three hits, and at one point retired 11 straight batters before Edwin Encarnacion singled leading off the eighth. More»

Bullpens are horrific for both teams in marathon affair

(NEWSER) - Tom Glavine left his first game back with Atlanta with a 4-2 lead after five innings, but that's when things were just getting started. The Braves' bullpen would quickly cough up that lead, before the Pirates relievers outshamed them, giving up five runs in the ninth inning, thanks to four walks and a defensive gaffe by outfielder Jason Bay, but eventually won in 12 thanks to a three-run homer by Xavier Nady, writes AP. More»