Spencer Schwellenbach stifles Shohei Ohtani, Braves beat Dodgers 6-2

ATLANTA (AP) — Spencer Schwellenbach kept Shohei Ohtani in the park and off the bases, while Gio Urshela and Jorge Soler went deep for the Atlanta Braves in a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on a damp Friday night.

Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts, putting a hold on his quest to become the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. He was 0 for 3 against Schwellenbach (6-7) before striking out on a rising, 95 mph fastball from Joe Jiménez that was well out of the zone.

“What he’s doing is incredible,” Schwellenbach said. “If he’s gonna do it, he’s gonna do it. I'm just going out there and trying to get him out.”

The Dodgers star is at 47 homers and 48 stolen bases with 15 games left in the regular season.

Schwellenbach, who started the season in the Class A Sally League, surrendered two runs on four hits in six strong innings. He bounced back from a rough start in his last outing, when he gave up 10 hits and six runs (three earned) against Toronto.

“Nothing seems to bother him,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He keeps the game slowed down. It doesn’t seem to speed up on him, which is awesome.”

Atlanta remained a game behind the Mets for the NL's final wild-card spot. New York won 11-3 at division-leading Philadelphia.

“We're in scoreboard-watching territory,” Snitker said. “But we are focused on what we can do. We can only do what we can do.”

The Dodgers came in with five-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. LA's magic number was 11 to clinch their 12th division title in the last 13 years.

Los Angeles also started a rookie, Landon Knack, who didn't fare nearly as well as Schwellenbach on a night where showers sent fans scattering for cover a couple of times but never halted play.

Knack (2-4) was rocked in two innings of work, giving up seven hits, five runs, two homers and two walks. Of the six hitters he retired, two of them hit towering flies that were caught at the wall in center field.

After Matt Olson put the home team ahead with a run-scoring double in the first, Atlanta poured it on in the second as Urshela and Soler both hit two-run homers to make it 5-0.

Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth in a non-save situation to extend his scoreless streak to 35 1/3 innings.

Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna had three hits, including the 1,500th of his career.

Miguel Rojas hit a solo homer for Los Angeles. But the top three in the Dodgers order — Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — went 0 for 11.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: RHP Tyler Glasnow (9-6, 3.49 ERA) had a potentially major setback in his recovery from an ailing elbow. The right-hander was supposed to pitch a simulated game, but the session was cut short while warming up in the bullpen when he felt pain in his arm. Glasnow went on the 15-day injured list Aug. 16 in what was described as more of a precautionary move. Now, the Dodgers are concerned that the injury is more serious.

Braves: 2B Whit Merrifield returned to the lineup one week after a foul ball left him with a fractured left foot. He beat out an infield hit in his first at-bat. ... 2B Ozzie Albies (fractured wrist) is hoping to return in the next week or so, but not as a switch-hitter. Albies told reporters he would only bat right-handed to help deal with lingering discomfort in his wrist. which has kept him off the field longer than expected. ... C Travis d’Arnaud was reinstated from the paternity list.

UP NEXT

LH Chris Sales (16-3, 2.38) gets the start for Atlanta on Saturday night, going for his MLB-leading 17th win. Sale hasn't been charged with a loss since June 27. The Dodgers will counter with RH Jack Flaherty (12-6, 2.86), who is 5-1 in seven starts since being acquired from Detroit.

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Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández (37) celebrates his double against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) watches a fly ball from the dugoput in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman (25) makes the catch for an out off the batt of Atlanta Braves' Ramón Laureano inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson (28) celebrates his RBI-double against the Los Angeles Dodgers inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) sits in the dugout in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Bravess, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Miguel Rojas (11) celebrates his solo homer with Shohei Ohtani (17) in the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson (28) hits an RBI-double against the Los Angeles Dodgers inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) stikes out in the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, right, celebrates a win with catcher Travis d'Arnaud after a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (56) speaks with catcher Travis d'Arnaud on the mound in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) strikes out in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani sits in the dugout in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorized its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously Tuesday across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, killing at least nine people, government and Hezbollah officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Here's the latest:

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says four soldiers were killed in southern Gaza and five others were wounded, with three of them in serious condition.

The deaths on Tuesday came nearly a year into the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The army did not describe the circumstances, but Israeli media reported that the soldiers were killed by a hidden bomb that exploded inside a building.

One of the four, Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, an army paramedic, was the first female soldier to have been killed in combat in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Hamas and other armed groups remain active across the territory despite months of heavy Israeli bombardment and ground operations that have destroyed vast areas and displaced most of the population.

Israel says 346 of its soldiers have been killed since the start of ground operations last October. The military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorized its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.

Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near-simultaneously Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding more than 2,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.

The AR-924 pagers used by the militants were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary’s capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo.

“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the statement read.

Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years, but did not provide evidence of the contract.

The AR-924 pager, advertised as being “rugged,” contains a rechargeable lithium battery, according to specifications once advertised on Gold Apollo’s website before it was apparently taken down Tuesday after the sabotage attack. It could receive text messages of up to 100 characters and claimed to have up to 85 days of battery life. That’s something that would be crucial in Lebanon, where electricity outages have been common as the tiny nation on the Mediterranean Sea has faced years of economic collapse. Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, making them more resilient in emergencies — one of the reasons why many hospitals worldwide still rely on them.

FILE - Israeli soldiers move next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Civil Defense first-responders carry a man who was wounded after his handheld pager exploded, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.(AP Photo)

People gather outside the American University hospital after the arrival of several people who were wounded by exploding handheld pagers, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Palestinians in Lebanon wave their national flags during a protest in front of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather around an ambulance carrying wounded people whose handheld pager exploded, at the emergency entrance of the American University hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

The supermoon rises behind the houses in Mas'ade, a village in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A Lebanese Red Cross volunteer collects blood donations for those who were injured by their exploded handheld pagers, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, at a Red Cross center in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)