Travis d’Arnaud hit a home run in the ninth inning, helping the Atlanta Braves secure a 2-1 victory over the playoff-bound Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.
Reynaldo López returned from the injured list to pitch six strong innings for the Braves, who moved ahead of the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the last two NL wild-card spots.
The Mets lost 6-0 to Milwaukee, while the Diamondbacks were shut out 5-0 by San Diego.
D’Arnaud ended the game with a powerful swing in the ninth, hitting a 2-0 pitch from Sam Long (3-3) over the center-field wall for his 15th home run of the season.
After a season filled with injuries, the Braves’ magic number is one. They can secure their seventh straight playoff appearance on Sunday by sweeping the Royals or if the Diamondbacks lose again.
Atlanta also has a makeup doubleheader scheduled for Monday against the Mets after two games were canceled due to Hurricane Helene in the final week of the regular season, but this may not be crucial for the Braves.
“This is big here. This is playoff baseball, literally,” said manager Brian Snitker. “A lot of emotions. That’s why you play this thing, to get in these positions.”
Raisel Iglesias (6-2) got the win by pitching a perfect top half of the ninth, but the highlight of the game was López.
The All-Star right-hander pitched for the first time since September 10, when he lasted only one inning against Washington due to shoulder discomfort. An MRI showed no structural damage, so the Braves placed him on the 15-day disabled list to avoid further issues.
López looked impressive in his return, allowing just two singles and striking out nine batters. After striking out Adam Frazier with the last of his 73 pitches, he celebrated by pounding his glove in satisfaction as he walked off the mound, lowering his season ERA to 2.00.
This is more than López ever expected when he joined the Braves as a free agent last November. After spending three seasons mostly as a reliever, Atlanta moved him to the starting rotation, and he has been outstanding.
“It’s been a surprising season for me,” López said through an interpreter. “Not knowing what to really expect and then being able to take full advantage of the opportunity I was given, I just couldn’t have expected this type of season. It’s been tremendous.”
D’Arnaud added a perfect finish to the night for the Braves.
“It’s great, especially when the wins are so big right now,” he said. “I think what our pitchers did is better than what I did at the end because I wouldn’t have had that chance unless our pitchers kept us in the game like they did.”
Kansas City took the lead in the third inning after getting its only two hits off López—back-to-back singles by Freddy Fermin and Garrett Hampson. Fermin scored from third when Dairon Blanco hit into a double play.
The Braves equalized in the fourth with an unearned run.
With two outs, Jorge Soler hit a ball off the yellow line at the top of the wall in right-center for a double. D’Arnaud followed with a slow roller that pitcher Michael Lorenzen fielded.
He had enough time to get the slow-running catcher but instead threw the ball into the Braves’ dugout. Soler scored on the error. The Royals used a makeshift lineup one day after securing their first postseason spot since 2015.
Bobby Witt Jr. was one of six starters from Friday’s 3-0 loss who sat out the game, while three others played in different positions. For Witt, it was the first game he missed all season after starting 160 games—159 at shortstop and one as the designated hitter.
Sitting out benefited the Royals star, who likely secured the AL batting title with a .332 average and just one game left in the regular season.
Sixteen-game winner Seth Lugo pitched two scoreless innings for Kansas City, using only 36 pitches in what was basically a practice for the Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.
