St. Pauli edges closer to Bundesliga relegation, Mainz and Gladbach are safe

BERLIN (AP) — St. Pauli lost 2-1 at home to Mainz to edge closer to Bundesliga relegation, with Wolfsburg hoping to take advantage later Sunday.

Phillip Tietz and Phillipp Mwene scored in the first half for Mainz to secure its place in the division next season with no concerns about relegation. Mainz had been bottom of the table with nine defeats from 13 games when it appointed Urs Fischer as coach in December.

Wolfsburg was playing at Freiburg later and could move above St. Pauli into the relegation playoff place by avoiding defeat.

The bottom two are relegated automatically, while the team that finishes third from bottom has a two-leg playoff against the third-place finisher from the second division to determine which plays in the Bundesliga next season.

Also Sunday, Haris Tabaković scored late for Borussia Mönchengladbach to clinch its survival with a 1-0 win over second-place Borussia Dortmund.

Two rounds remain after this weekend.

Bayern Munich has already won the title with four rounds to spare. Schalke clinched promotion back to the division on Saturday.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Mönchengladbach's Philipp Sander, second from left, challenges for the ball with Dortmund's Julian Brandt, left, Jobe Bellingham, second from right, and Nico Schlotterbeck during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund in Mönchengladbach, Germany, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP)

Mönchengladbach's Rocco Reitz, left, and Dortmund's Waldemar Anton fight for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund in Mönchengladbach, Germany, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Arkadiusz Pyrka, left, and Mainz's Nadiem Amiri battle for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FSV Mainz 05 in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Arkadiusz Pyrka, left, and Mainz's Phillipp Mwene battle for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FSV Mainz 05 in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

DENVER (AP) — The Atlanta Braves placed star right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. on the 10-day injured list because of a strained left hamstring on Sunday.

The Braves owned the best record in baseball at 24-10 entering Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. But they'll have to get by for now without one of their top players.

Acuña left Saturday night’s game in the second inning. He was attempting to run out a ground ball before he pulled up about halfway down the base path and grabbed at his hamstring.

The five-time All-Star and 2023 National League MVP is batting .252 with two home runs, nine RBIs, 17 runs and a team-high seven steals. He had played in all 34 games after a torn ACL he suffered in May 2024 limited him to a combined 144 games over the past two seasons.

The Braves activated right-hander Spencer Strider from the injured list prior to Sunday's start. The 2023 All-Star was set to make his season debut after being sidelined with a strained oblique. The Braves optioned right-hander Hunter Stratton to Triple-A Gwinnett following Saturday's game to make room for him. They also selected outfielder José Azócar's contract from the minor league club on Sunday with Acuña going on the injured list.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr., left, is escorted off the field after being injured in the second inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr., center left, walks gingerly after being injured while running out a groundout as first base umpire Bill Miller, center right, looks on in the second inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)