Lane Thomas and Josh Naylor go deep to back up a strong start from Gavin Williams in Guardians’ 4-2 win over Royals

Thomas hit his first home run in a Cleveland uniform, a two-run homer off Michael Wacha in the fifth inning that erased a Royals lead and put the Guardians ahead, 2-1. Josh Naylor added his own two-run homer in the sixth inning on an infield single by José Ramírez.

After hitting just .143 in 27 games in August, Thomas has five hits in two games in September. Manager Stephen Vogt said Thomas has been swinging the bat well the last few games and appears to be back on track against fastballs.

“He’s getting more aggressive, which is great, and aggressive on good pitches,” Vogt said. “It was fun to see that one get carried out of the yard. Great momentum for us, and obviously a nice relief for him.”

Thomas said he just wants to contribute to Cleveland’s success.

“It was nice to put a couple of runs on the board and support Gavin (Williams) a little bit and give him the win,” Thomas said.

Cleveland’s bullpen turned the ball over to Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning after Williams had pitched seven strong innings for his third win. Clase earned his 41st save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He has converted his last 28 consecutive save opportunities.

Cleveland has won four of its last five and moved 4 1/2 games ahead of the Royals in the AL Central standings. Second-place Minnesota is 3 1/2 games behind the Guardians after a 5-4 win at Tampa Bay.

Cleveland’s magic number to clinch the division is 22 with 24 games to go. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 16 over Boston.

Naylor entered the game with nine hits in his last 17 at-bats in a four-game series. That included three doubles and six RBI. He hit a 1-0 fastball off Royals left-hander Kris Bubic into the right-center seat for his 29th home run, giving the first baseman 100 RBI for the first time in his career.

Thomas, who struggled at the plate for most of August after being acquired from Washington on July 30, entered the game with a .364 batting average over his previous nine. He took Wacha deep with Jhonkensy Noel aboard for his ninth home run in the fifth on a 1-0 cutter over the middle of the plate. Thomas added a double in the ninth for his first multi-hit game since Aug. 7.

Williams allowed a run in the second inning when Yuli Gurriel walked with two outs and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Maikel Garcia’s double into the left-field corner scored Gurriel, who was one of KC’s waiver pickups after leading RBI man Vince Pasquantino suffered a broken thumb last weekend in Houston.

But Williams recovered after the Garcia double and retired the next 16 batters he faced. He needed just eight pitches to get through the third inning, as the top of Kansas City’s lineup was no match for his fastball, which averaged 96.8 mph for the day. Williams struck out seven and walked one, completing a season-record seven innings.

Vogt said Williams seemed to be fighting through the first few innings and not coming off the mound effectively. After a conversation with pitching coach Carl Willis, Williams appeared to make the adjustment.

“Carl talked to him after the second inning and he came back on the line,” Vogt said. “What a performance. It was very necessary for him, for us. He just made that adjustment, went down the hill in a good direction.”

Williams said he has had a tendency to pull the ball across his body lately, but he was able to turn the tide on Monday.

“I just fell out of the zone,” Williams said. “Just talking to Bo (Naylor) and having a better plan, and watching (Royals hitters) take different pitches. They know what I have. They just attack the first pitch, really. So it’s just keeping them off balance.”

Cade Smith took over in the eighth and surrendered a leadoff double to Gurriel, who left the game with a sore hamstring after limping to the bag. But Guardians rookie right fielder Jhonkensy Noel made a diving catch on a sinking line drive by Garcia that appeared to be headed for extra bases in the gap. Kyle Isbel eventually drove in pinch runner Freddy Fermin with a sacrifice fly to center, but Noel’s catch helped quell a Royals rally.

“When that ball goes down, it’s a completely different inning, a completely different game,” Vogt said. “Great catch by Jhonkensy.”

Noel said the wind brought the fly balls back to the field, and that gave him the confidence to go get them. He said, through Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero, that he is happy to contribute to a team in a pennant race in the middle of the order in September.

“It doesn’t matter what part of the order I am, as long as I can help and help the team win,” Noel said. “I’ve worked hard to be in that position, but what’s more important than anything is that I can help the team win.”

Cleveland fell to 28-33 overall since June 26 after starting the season 51-26. The club is 21-22 since the All-Star Break. The Guards are now 8-8 on the road in the second half after going 28-26 on the road before the All-Star break.