Naylor slugs 2 HRs as the Guardians top the Royals, dealing Zack Greinke his 16th straight road loss

Updated Jul. 25, 2023 10:17 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bo Naylor had his first career two-homer game and drove in three runs as the Cleveland Guardians beat Kansas City 5-1 on Tuesday night, handing Royals pitcher Zack Greinke his 16th consecutive road loss.

Naylor hit a 430-foot solo shot to right in the third inning and a 397-foot blast to right-center in the fifth to score Myles Straw for his first home runs at Progressive Field. The 23-year-old rookie catcher entered the game with two homers.

“It was awesome, the way the ball felt off the bat tonight, to say the least,” Naylor said. “Baseball is all about making sure that you’re prepared and ready. I pretty much just went out there and tried to put up a few good swings, and the results came.”

Greinke (1-11) gave up four runs in five innings and remained winless on the road since Aug. 13, 2021, when he pitched for Houston at Angel Stadium. In 27 subsequent away starts, the 39-year-old right-hander is 0-16 with a 6.43 ERA over 134 1/3 innings.

“I started off strong and got tired a little bit before it’s ideal, but that’s been the way it’s gone these last two starts,” said Greinke, who was on the injured list from July 5-20 with tendinitis in his right shoulder. “I finished bad is the best way to describe it.”

Guardians starter Aaron Civale (4-2) worked a season-high eight innings, allowing one run on five hits. The right-hander struck out five and threw 60 strikes in 93 pitches before All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

José Ramírez and Will Brennan each had RBI singles for Cleveland, which is in second place in the AL Central behind the Minnesota Twins. The Guardians are 3-2 on their six-game homestand.

“Every time I go out there, I’m trying to go as deep into the game as I can,” Civale said. “The more rest that our bullpen gets, the better they’re going to be when they have to pick us up, so it’s always great to have a night like this.”

Kansas City scored its only run in the fifth inning when Nicky Lopez singled in Michael Massey. Lopez had two of the team’s five hits.

The Royals have the second-worst record in the majors at 29-74.

Greinke made his 534th career start, which ranks 35th all-time, and equaled the longest overall losing streak in his 20 seasons in the big leagues with seven.

“I felt pretty good going in against Naylor, so I’ve got to dig a little deeper to see why he did what he did,” Greinke said.

The game was completed in 1 hour and 59 minutes.

MILESTONE MAN

Salvador Perez hit his 200th home run as a catcher in the series opener, which the Royals said made him the 10th player in the exclusive club. One day later, the official statistician of MLB added five catchers to the list that now stands at 15.

Perez is tied for 14th place in homers by a catcher with Hall of Famer Bill Dickey, 13 away from matching Benito Santiago for 13th. The eight-time All-Star has spent his entire 12-year career with Kansas City.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Daniel Lynch IV (left shoulder strain) was unable to complete his bullpen session Monday and will undergo further testing. Lynch was placed on the 15-day IL after his July 18 start against Detroit and had been expected to return in early August.

Guardians: RHP Cal Quantrill (right shoulder inflammation), who went back on the IL on July 6, will throw an up-and-down bullpen session Wednesday. “I don’t know that we’re ready to say what comes after that for him,” manager Terry Francona said.

UP NEXT

Royals RHP Alec Marsh (0-4, 6.20 ERA) faces Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (1-2, 3.74 ERA) in the finale of the three-game series. Both pitchers made their major league debut in June.

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