Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López reached a settlement with Major League Baseball to have his seven-game suspension reduced to five games upon appeal, according to Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

López and Los Angeles Angeles outfielder Jorge Soler were initially given identical seven-game suspensions after fighting during Tuesday’s 7-2 Atlanta win.

Soler also appealed his suspension and appeared in Wednesday’s matchup between the teams, homering for a second straight game.

The outfielder felt it was “intentional” when López threw up and in during Soler’s fifth-inning at-bat. He had homered off López in his first at-bat and was hit by a pitch in his second time at the dish. Soler has also raked against López during his career, going 14-for-23 with five homers and three doubles in those matchups.

“Obviously, I have good numbers against him,” he told reporters. “After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can’t miss like that.”

López denied trying to hit him.

“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” he told reporters. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So again, it’s just a shame.”

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss backed up López’s remarks.

“I know it didn’t look good because of Soler’s numbers against Lopey, and he hit a homer, he hit him. It didn’t look good,” he said. “Lopey’s not throwing at him. I don’t allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they can’t get ’em out. Our job is to get ’em out. But I understand why Soler got angry. And he’s a really mild-mannered guy. So I think the switch flipped for him. … There was no intent there. I just think that Lopey’s just overthrowing, because he’s had a hard time getting him out. But he’s certainly not trying to hit him.”

L.A. manager Kurt Suzuki, meanwhile, backed up his player.

“I don’t blame Jorge one bit,” he said. “You get thrown at your head, you have a family, a career. It’s dangerous. I know it happens. But if you ask any hitter and a ball gets thrown near their head, especially after hitting a homer, it’s not good.”

It remains to be seen whether Soler will have his suspension reduced on appeal. As for López, he’ll be eligible to make his next start on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins.

Air travel is back to normal as spring break season brings tens of thousands of travelers to airports across the country.

But now, passengers hoping to check bags for their trips are going to have to pay more with this airline.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is increasing the fees for checked luggage starting Wednesday, April 8. The new fees will apply on any tickets purchased on or after Wednesday, but not to tickets purchased before this date.

Here’s what to know.

New pricing for checked bags with Delta

A price hike on the fee for checked bags with Delta will be applied to domestic and certain short-haul international flights, like those in and around North America, according to Delta Air Lines. Long-haul international bag pricing will not change.

A Delta spokesperson told USA TODAY the changes were “part of Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics.”

Your first checked bag will now be $45 and your second checked bag will be $55, both prices are a $10 increase from the previous fee. There is a $50 increase in price for the third checked bag, now reaching $200.

Delta premium cabin customers, elite frequent flyers and those with co-branded credit cards will keep their free checked bag benefits.

Why are airlines increasing prices?

Delta is now the third airline to announce increase bag prices this spring, following United Airlines and JetBlue. United will honor a lower price for passengers that pre-pay, and JetBlue will have slightly different prices based on whether it’s a peak travel time or not, like spring break season.

The conflict in the Middle East is driving up the price of jet fuel, and travel experts are encouraging people who anticipate flying over the summer to consider purchasing their tickets now before the price of flights also increase. This is also likely a primary driver in the increased bag prices.

A two-week ceasefire was announced Tuesday, but it’s unclear how long it will take for oil and gas prices to come down in the United States.

The airlines are also coming off of a period of chaos inside the airports as TSA agents went weeks without pay as part of a partial government shutdown. While the airlines are not responsible for airport security, many passengers missed their flights waiting in exceptionally long lines, and any flight delay only added to the network of issues.

Irene Wright is following the partial government shutdown and Iran conflict’s impact on Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Find the Atlanta Connect reporter on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — An Atlanta police officer accidentally shot themselves in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday night, according to the police department.

A spokesperson for Atlanta police said the incident happened on McAfee Street NW.

The officer “sustained a self-inflicted non-fatal injury as a result of an accidental discharge,” the spokesperson said.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.

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