Braves' Francoeur is sent to minors

Slumping Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur was sent to the minors to work on his hitting, with his average having dropped to .234. Francoeur was booed at home Thursday night when he went 0-for-4. He hit .206 in June and is 1-for-12 in three games this month. "It seems I can't catch a break, or when I feel I start to roll I just can't get things to keep rolling my way," Francoeur said. The Braves hope Francoeur can relax at Double-A Mississippi and sharpen his mechanics. The plan is for Francoeur to rejoin the team following the All-Star break. "We're to the point now where we're trying to break him down and get him to do a couple things different," hitting coach Terry Pendleton said. "That's going to take some time. ... Once you start thinking, for a guy like him, it gets... [read full story]