Bo Naylor’s Second Longball Helps Guardians Leave K.C. With a Series Split

After dropping the first two games of the series, the Cleveland Guardians bounced back to win the final two to split the series.

On Thursday, May 7, the Guardians finished their four-game road series with the Kansas City Royals by downing them, 8-5. Following a solid start to the game from Slade Cecconi, who gave up six hits and two earned runs across 5.1 innings, the Guardians' bullpen wavered a bit.

However, insurance from struggling catcher Bo Naylor ended up being the difference maker for the Guardians. With Brayan Rocchio and Travis Bazzana on base in the top of the seventh inning, Naylor sat in and saw a 92.7 mph four-seamer at the bottom of the zone, swung and belted it to right field.

It was just his second blast of the season, but it came in a big moment for the Guardians.

Bo strikes his second home run of the 2026 campaign.

The #Guardians are in the driver’s seat today against the Royals. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/HrCPst4Vhn
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 7, 2026

“It’s awesome. I mean, it's been a tough start for Bo, so to see him kind of break out a game, you know, and kind of extend the lead for good… It was huge," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "He works tremendously hard every day. Leads these pitchers through games, works on his swing, works offensively. So really fun day for Bo today.”

He finished the game going 2-for-5 from the plate with three RBI.

On the season, Naylor has jumped up to a .143/.200/.238 slashing line for an OPS of .438. He still has a long way to go to recover the line following his early-season struggles, but games like Thursday's show that there is something still there; he just has to unlock the consistency.

Playing in 28 games and posting 84 at-bats, Naylor currently has 12 hits, two doubles and two home runs for seven RBI.

Outside of Naylor, the Guardians' other runs were tacked on the board by RBI knocks from Daniel Schneemann, Kyle Manzardo and Petey Halpin. Manzardo's was a double, bringing in two runs.

For Halpin, it was his first big-league RBI. He was initially called up late in the 2025 campaign, before spending the beginning of 2026 down in Triple-A. Following a strugglesome start to the year from George Valera, Halpin was called up just last week.

“He just changes the game," Vogt said about Halpin on Thursday. "He impacts the game, whether it's defense-based running at the plate. He impacts the game. And he can change a game by himself with his legs, with his ability to go get the ball in the outfield [with his] great arm. He can hurt teams in multiple ways. So really fun day for Petey as well.”

#Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Petey Halpin:

“He just changes the game. He impacts the game, whether it's defense based running at the plate. He impacts the game. And he can change a game by himself with his legs, with his ability to go get the ball in the outfield [with… https://t.co/fVVRT3sz6u
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) May 7, 2026

That type of all-around productivity, especially from guys that don't normally provide run support, is a massive help for Cleveland's lineup depth. With José Ramírez and Steven Kwan attempting to get settled in, that help goes a long way in keeping the team's head above water in the meantime.

The Guardians will hope to see Naylor carry this momentum forward and keep bouncing back following a slow start to the year.

He and the rest of the team will be back in Cleveland on Friday, May 8, to begin a home series against the Minnesota Twins. The two sides will clash at 7:15 p.m. EST.

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