ATLANTA (AP) — Following the lead of the NBA, the NASCAR Cup Series is planning a five-race, bracket-style tournament in the midst of the 2025 season, beginning with a night event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

ATLANTA (AP) — Javier Assad pitched six shutout innings and the Chicago Cubs avoided their first sweep of the season by beating the Atlanta Braves 7-1 on Wednesday night.

It's not a rock. It's the Athens Rock Lobsters. The minor league hockey team that will begin play next season in the home of the University of Georgia paid homage to the city's rich musical heritage by choosing a nickname made famous by one of its most famous bands.

ATLANTA (AP) — Matt Olson hit a three-run homer and drove in four, Chris Sale pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0 Tuesday night for their second straight shutout in the series.

ATLANTA (AP) — Baseball is returning to the site where the Braves first played in Atlanta and Hank Aaron hit his record 715th home run. Georgia State has finalized plans for a new 1,000-seat baseball stadium in a parking lot that includes the footprint of the former Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Nimmo played only 2 1/2 innings off the bench and still made all the difference. Held out of the starting lineup Sunday night because of soreness on his right side, Nimmo entered as a pinch runner in the seventh and hit a two-run homer in the ninth that gave the New York Mets a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. insists he'll have no difficulty adjusting to his role as the backup to new Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. Before taking the field on Friday for rookie minicamp, Penix was greeted by Cousins at the team's practice facility.

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders signed first-round draft pick Brock Bowers, a tight end taken 13th overall from Georgia. Bowers is slotted to make $18.14 million over four years, according to Spotrac.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves acquired utility infielder Zack Short from the Boston Red Sox on Thursday after dealing infielder Luis Guillorme to the Los Angeles Angels, each for cash.

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna kept up his torrid start with two more homers and Chris Sale pitched six innings against his former team, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox and a sweep of their two-game interleague series Wednesday night.

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna's run-scoring single in the eighth inning gave Atlanta the lead and the Braves beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak. Boston's Kutter Crawford and Atlanta's Reynaldo López each allowed two runs in a matchup of right-handers with ERAs under 2.00.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves lost another reliever to an injury on Tuesday when they placed left-hander Tyler Matzek on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani went 4 for 4 with two home runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon to sweep the three-game series.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a three-horse photo finish, edging out Sierra Leone by a nose with Forever Young third in the tightest finish since 1996 on Saturday.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's Kirby Smart agreed to a contract extension Thursday that makes him the highest-paid coach in college football with an annual salary of $13 million. Smart got a bump in salary of $1.75 million annually as part of the deal, which ties him to the Bulldogs through 2033.

SEATTLE (AP) — Chris Sale allowed one run over five innings and struck out nine, Austin Riley had the big blow at the plate with a two-run triple, and the Atlanta Braves salvaged the final game of a three-game series with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

SEATTLE (AP) — Luis Castillo threw seven shutout innings to continue Seattle’s run of starting pitching dominance and the Mariners' bullpen held on for a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

SEATTLE (AP) — Mitch Garver hit a two-run game-ending homer in the ninth inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night in a game that was dominated by spectacular starting pitching.

NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Ryan, who retired last week after 15 years in the NFL, will join CBS Sports as a studio analyst on “The NFL Today” and Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason will leave after long runs on the show, the network announced Monday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Austin Riley knocked in Ronald Acuña Jr. with a 10th inning single Sunday and the Atlanta Braves rallied late to beat the Guardians 4-3 and win a three-game series between the top two teams in the majors.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — There's a reason Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot made a cross-county flight for a personal workout with Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. before the NFL draft.

DETROIT (AP) — The NFL draft has a new attendance record after more than 700,000 fans flooded downtown Detroit for the three-day event.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Arthur Smith walked in and sat down, a microphone in front of him and a Pittsburgh Steelers baseball cap pulled tight on his head.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons provided the first major surprise of the NFL draft by selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. of Washington with the No. 8 overall pick on Thursday night.

Quarterback Jaden Rashada has committed to Georgia after leaving Arizona State in the transfer portal. Rashada's agent, Henry Danger of Disruptive Sports, told The Associated Press in an email on Thursday that the one-time Florida quarterback commit has transferred to the Gators’ Southeastern Conference rival in Georgia.