D'Arnaud hits a walk-off homer as Braves keep up their playoff push with a 2-1 win over Royals

ATLANTA (AP) — Travis d’Arnaud hit a home run in the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves kept up their postseason push with a 2-1 win over the playoff-bound Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Reynaldo López came off the injured list to throw six strong innings for the Braves, who moved one game ahead of the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the final two NL wild-card spots.

The Mets lost 6-0 at Milwaukee, while the Diamondbacks were blanked 5-0 by San Diego.

D'Arnaud ended it with one swing in the ninth, launching a 2-0 pitch from Sam Long (3-3) over the center-field wall for his 15th homer this season.

After an injury-plagued season, the Braves' magic number is one. They can clinch their seventh straight playoff appearance on Sunday by completing a sweep of the Royals or another loss by the Diamondbacks.

Atlanta also has a makeup doubleheader set for Monday against the Mets after two games were washed out by Hurricane Helene in the final week of the regular season, but it may not matter much for the Braves.

“This is big here. This is playoff baseball, literally,” manager Brian Snitker said. “A lot of emotions. That’s why you play this thing, to get in these positions.”

Raisel Iglesias (6-2) earned the win with a perfect top half of the ninth, but the story on the mound was López.

The All-Star right-hander pitched for the first time since Sept. 10, when he lasted only one inning at Washington before coming out with shoulder discomfort. An MRI showed no structural damage, but the Braves placed him on the 15-day disabled list in the heat of the playoff race to make sure things didn't get worse.

López looked as good as ever in his return, allowing only two singles while striking out nine. After fanning Adam Frazier with the last of his 73 pitches, he pounded his glove in satisfaction while walking off the mound, having lowered his season ERA to an even 2.00.

This is more than López ever could've imagined after he signed with the Braves as a free agent last November. Coming off three seasons spent mostly as a reliever, Atlanta moved him to the starting rotation — and he's been downright dazzling.

“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 provided the perfect capper 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 went ahead in the third after starting the frame with its only two hits off Lopez — back-to-back singles by Freddy Fermin and Garrett Hampson. Fermin came home from third when Dairon Blanco hit into a double play.

The Braves tied it up in the fourth with an unearned run.

With two outs, Jorge Soler hit one off the yellow line at the top of the wall in right-center for a double. D'Arnaud followed with a dribbler that was fielded by pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who had plenty of time to get the slow-running catcher but threw it in the Braves' dugout. Soler came home on the error.

The Royals went with a makeshift lineup one day after clinching their first postseason appearance since 2015.

Bobby Witt Jr. was among six starters from Friday's 3-0 loss who got the night off, while three others were slotted into different positions. For Witt, it was the first game he's missed all season after making 160 consecutive starts — 159 at shortstop and one game as the designated hitter.

Sitting out had an added benefit for the Royals star, who likely locked up 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, limited to 36 pitches in what was essentially a tuneup for the Wild Card Series that begins Tuesday.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Royals: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino (broken right thumb) holds out hope he may be able to return to the lineup during the playoffs. He took another step in his recovery by facing live pitching for the first time since his injury. Before the game, he took swings against LHP Will Smith, who is recovering from low back spasms, and RHP Steven Cruz, who has been optioned to the minors.

Braves: With López coming off the injured list, RHP John Brebbia was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett — merely a procedural move since the minor league team's season is over.

UP NEXT

Neither team announced pitching plans for the series finale Sunday. The Braves will go with Chris Sale, Charlie Morton or rookie Spencer Schwellenbach. The Royals, meanwhile, scuttled plans to start LHP Cole Ragans, preferring to hold him back for the Wild Card Series.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Atlanta Braves' Ozzie Albies watches his hit in the infield in the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Kansas City Royals outfielder Garrett Hampson, left, slides into first base before Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, right, catches the ball in the eighth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Kansas City Royals' Maikel Garcia looks to his hit to see if it stays within play in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Kansas City Royals outfielder Robbie Grossman catches a pop fly hit by Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson swings at a pitch called strike in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Kansas City Royals pitcher Michael Lorenzen throws in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Atlanta Braves' Jorge Soler hits a double to center field in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Atlanta Braves' Travis d'Arnaud rounds second base after hitting a walkoff home run to win a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

BEIRUT (AP) — More than two days after a massive Israeli airstrike that killed the leader of the Hezbollah militant group, smoke is still rising from the smoldering wreckage.

Israel said the Friday night strike targeted a meeting at an underground Hezbollah compound. The blasts leveled multiple high-rise apartment towers in the densely populated predominantly Shiite southern Beirut suburb known as Dahiyeh.

Hezbollah confirmed in a statement Saturday that its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in the strike — a huge blow for the group he had led for 32 years.

On Sunday, Associated Press journalists saw smoke still rising over the rubble as people flocked to the site, some to check on what’s left of their homes, others to pay respects and pray. Some were there to simply inspect the destruction.

Residents of Beirut heard up to 10 explosions following the Friday strike that targeted an area greater than a city block, reducing several residential buildings to a jumble of pancaked concrete and twisted steel. The buildings sank into the ground, leaving a cleared-out area bigger than a soccer field.

Israel on Saturday released videos it said were of the warplanes that took part in the strike, showing at least eight F-15Is, but it didn't provide any comment on the type or number of bombs used. Experts said the blasts and destruction left behind were consistent with the 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) -class bombs, likely designed to explode after penetrating structures.

Onlookers at the site Sunday clambered over large slabs of concrete, surrounded by high piles of twisted metal and wreckage. Several craters, likely used by rescuers to penetrate under the site of the explosion were visible, some of them apparently up to 30 meters (100 feet) deep.

A few Hezbollah workers were using a bulldozer to excavate around one of the craters, some of them apparently dug by rescuers to reach the dead. State security and investigators were nowhere to be seen.

The AP footage provided one of the closest looks at the site of the assassination and the extent of the destruction it caused.

So far, six deaths have been confirmed at the site, along with dozens of injuries, but it is not clear if the diggers are still looking for bodies. Some people on the scene Sunday said their relatives were still missing.

A woman wearing the black head-to-toe robe known as the chador stood on one side, reading from the Islamic holy book, the Quran, as a group of bystanders sobbed. One man collapsed in tears after seeing the immense destruction.

“Ya Sayyed, Ya Sayyed!” he cried, his head resting against a wall, as he referred to Nasrallah by his honorific title.

“Our morale is high and the struggle shall continue,” said Ali Rahhal, 30. “From here, from the heart of Dahiyeh, we say ‘labbayka ya, Nasrallah’,” he said. The Arabic phrase, which means "at your service, Nasrallah,” was often chanted by supporters at Hezbollah rallies.

Associated Press writer Fadi Tawil contributed reporting.

People check the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man stands on the rubble of buildings near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man mourns at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

People check the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Crumbled buildings at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man walks on rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Damaged buildings at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A Hezbollah flag at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A hole in the ground near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A woman reads the Quran at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)