ATLANTA — When Major League Baseball teams take the field each February for the start of spring training and a new season, the goal is to still be playing in October.
The Atlanta Braves are almost there.
Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning, and the Braves kept up their postseason push with a 2-1 win over the playoff-bound Kansas City Royals on Saturday night at Truist Park.
Right-hander Reynaldo López came off the injured list to pitch six strong innings for the Braves, who moved one game ahead of both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets in the three-team race for the final two wild-card spots in the National League.
The Mets lost 6-0 to the host Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, while the Diamondbacks were blanked 5-0 at home in a ninth-inning collapse against the San Diego Padres, who have already secured the top wild card and the No. 4 seed in the NL bracket.