Bo

Naylor

Even with tough left-hander Cole Ragans on the mound, the Guardians will have DeLauter back in the lineup after one day off. He will hit fifth instead of second, but it’s nice to see that he is not in a strict platoon. It does seem like Kyle Manzardo and Bo Baylor are in strict platoons, as both of them will sit yet again with Austin Hedges catching and Rhys Hoskins at first base.

Hoskins has hit well in his first few games with Cleveland, although he did have one of the most bizarre baserunning mistakes you’ll see when he tried to tag up and score on a 200-foot pop-up. Chase DeLauter is the designated hitter Saturday against Bryan Woo, Angel Martinez will handle left and CJ Keyfus is in right. Bo Naylor also gets a break with David Fry hitting fifth and catching.

The 33-year-old slugger is expected to be a regular against left-handed pitching for the Guardians, but he’s in there against a right-hander as well on Opening night. If he’s able to stay healthy and regain his power stroke, he could wind up providing some mixed league viability. Here’s the full lineup that manager Stephen Vogt will use against Logan Gilbert and the M’s on Thursday: Steven Kwan (LF), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jose Ramirez (3B), Kyle Manzardo (DH), Bo Naylor (C), Rhys Hoskins (1B), Daniel Schneemann (CF), Gabriel Arias (SS) and Brayan Rocchio (2B).

Naylor made things much more interesting as his two-run shot off of Gabe Speier in the sixth inning, pulling Team Canada to within two runs at 5-3. That would be as close as they would get. The 26-year-old backstop also singled in the ballgame. He’ll now rejoin Guardians’ camp and get ready for the start of the regular season.

Heyman adds that Hedges will receive $500,000 in performance-based incentives. The 33-year-old backstop will return for his sixth season in Cleveland. He’s been a complete non-factor at the plate, but he’s remains a sublime defender from a pitch-framing perspective. He’ll serve as Bo Naylor’s primary caddy next season.

Naylor put the game to bed with a three-run shot that extended the lead from 3-1 to 6-1. The 25-year-old did almost nothing in the regular season at the plate, but he’s helped Cleveland get to within a game of the ALDS against Seattle.

Naylor has hit in eight straight games, which is pretty remarkable for a guy who was batting .175 through 109 games this season. His previous long hitting streak this season was three games, and he did that just twice. The streak has raised his average 20 points and given him a more adequate .195/.286/.382 season line. He also overtook his previous high of 13 homers from last year with Nos. 13 and 14 today.

Naylor had a pair of two-run hits; a two-run single in the first, and a single in the eighth that scored two more. The 25-year-old has done a solid job behind the plate for Cleveland and occasionally reminds why he was considered a top prospect with the bat, but even with the strong night he’s slashing an ugly .191/.281/.362.

Naylor delivered a valuable insurance run with an RBI double off of Casey Mize in the sixth inning that extended the Guardians’ lead to 3-1. The 25-year-old backstop has had a miserable season overall at the plate, slashing a dreadful .187/.280/.363 with 12 homers and 36 RBI across 381 plate appearances.

Naylor also walked. He drove in his first two runs in the fourth before breaking the tie with his solo shot off Brandon Eisert in the seventh. It was a little surprising that he was in the game at that point — the Guardians pinch-hit for him in a similar situation in the seventh inning Saturday — but the double might have made a difference. It was Naylor’s second homer off a left-hander this season. He’s 5-for-8 in his last three games, raising his average to .187. That’s his highest mark since June 13. He last saw the Mendoza Line on May 24.