MIAMI (AP) — Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. was removed in the sixth inning of Thursday's 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins because of pain in his left thumb.
Manager Walt Weiss said after the game that Acuña has a bone bruise in his thumb, but added he thinks the star right fielder will be fine.
“I feel good,” Acuña said in Spanish afterward, adding that he felt tightness in his thumb during the game. “It's the first time something like that has happened.”
Acuña was experiencing pain and had his thumb examined during the fifth before exiting with the Braves up 6-2. Eli White replaced him at right field.
“He was trying to talk his way into the lineup tomorrow as soon as the game was over,” Weiss said, “so I think he’s going to be alright.”
It was Acuña's third game back after a being sidelined with a left hamstring strain since May 2.
He had two hits on Thursday, including an RBI single that put the Braves ahead 5-2 in the fifth.
Acuña left in the second inning against the Rockies on May 2 with hamstring tightness before an MRI revealed the strain. He was attempting to run out a grounder before he pulled up about halfway down the line and grabbed at his hamstring.
The five-time All-Star and 2023 NL MVP is batting .252 with two homers and a team-high seven steals. He had played in the first 34 games this year after a torn ACL he suffered in May 2024 limited him to a combined 144 games over the past two seasons.
The Braves took three of four at Miami for their 14th win in 16 series and return home for a three-game series against Washington.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna hits a RBI single to score two runs during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna, right, has his finger looked at during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
NEW YORK (AP) — Playing at home hasn't provided much comfort for WNBA teams this season.
Through nearly the first two weeks, home teams have only won about 29% of games. Out of the 15 teams, only New York has a winning record at home.
This is the worst percentage to start a season by home teams in the league's 30-year history, according to Elias Sports Bureau stats provided to The Associated Press by the WNBA.
Through an equivalent number of games, the previous worst was 41% in 2021 — when fans weren't allowed to attend games early on because of the COVID pandemic. Home teams won 43% of their games to start the 2016 season. Both those years the number reached over 50% by the end of the season. There was nearly a 54% home advantage in 2021 and 55% in 2016.
There are a lot of factors that go into the poor start at home so far, including scheduling. The expected top teams Las Vegas and New York have been on the road for most of the start of the season. That said, Chicago, which was near the bottom of the standings last year, went 3-1 on the road to begin this season.
“It’s bizarre and interesting, but I don’t think it signals a trend that will continue,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “We just need to have the better teams to have more home games.”
Golden State coach Natalie Nakase agreed she didn't think the early trend would continue.
“I don't put much stock in it,” said Nakase, who's team visits New York on Thursday night. “I think it gives players that out to say that we have more advantage at home or we have more advantage away. I just say there’s two hoops, there’s a court, there’s a couple refs, and we got to play. At the end of the day, when you step on the court, you got to be ready to fight.”
One thing it’s not caused by is a lack of fans in the buildings. Attendance is up 25% so far this season as compared to this point last year, according to the WNBA.
The second-year Valkyries have established quite a homecourt advantage. They led the league in attendance last year and so far have drawn well in their first two games at home.
“You also don’t want to take it for granted, you know, and take advantage of it,” she said. “But we do have the love of support that is, you know, amazing. But at the same time, you have to be able to handle the noise. So we try to prepare as best as we can.”
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Fans arrive for an WNBA basketball game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Phoenix Mercury at Chase Center in San Francisco, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
