Acuna Junior Hit Twice, Braves on Edge

0:00It's April 21st. Welcome in. This is MLB News Today, where the game meets AI. I'm Cory with the story. Ronald Akuna Jr. got plunked by pitches twice in the Atlanta Braves game against the Washington Nationals last night, forcing him out in the sixth inning. The first came leading off the fourth, when starter Jake Irvin drilled him with a 92-mile-per-hour fastball with the Braves down to nothing. Things stayed tense as the score flipped to three-two Braves. Then in the sixth, no outs. Irvin hit him again with a 91-mile-per-hour fastball. This time tagging Akuna's left hand. He let out a yellowing pain right there on the field, and stayed in the on-deck circle to the inning wrapped. Akuna didn't take the field for the bottom half, with Eli White stepping in for right-field duty. Fans held their breath watching the star outfielder shake it off, knowing how key he is to the lineup. X-rays came back negative, so he's listed day-to-day, which is a relief for Atlanta. But the drama ramped up when Braves pitcher Bryce Elder hit Washington's Dalen Lyle to open the bottom of the sixth.

1:05Umpires hit both dugouts with warnings after that exchange, keeping the piece as the game rolled on. Tensions high, but Akuna's status the big watch. Point moving forward.