ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Emil Brown hit a three-run homer and Odalis Perez won for the first time since late April as the Kansas City Royals beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9-4 on Saturday night.

Brown hit his second homer of the season during a four-run fourth that put the Royals ahead 8-1. Kansas City has won eight of its last 10 road games.

Perez (3-5) gave up four runs and eight hits in five-plus innings. He had been winless in six starts – including three losses – since beating Minnesota on April 25.

Brendan Harris had a three-run homer to pull the Devil Rays to within 8-4 in the sixth.

Tony Pena extended his career-high hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI infield single during the Royals’ four-run second off Edwin Jackson (0-7). After Pena’s hit made it 1-0, David DeJesus snapped an 0-for-12 slide with a two-run double. Mark Grudzielanek’s run-scoring grounder extended the lead to 4-0.

Jackson was pulled with two on and one out in the fourth. Reliever Tim Corcoran entered and gave up an RBI double to Mark Teahen and Brown’s three-run shot.

Jackson allowed six runs and six hits in 3 1-3 innings. The right-hander’s spot in the rotation has been in jeopardy and he could become the third pitcher – joining Jae Seo and Casey Fossum – to lose it recently.

Seo was designated for assignment and Fossum was moved into the bullpen Friday. Left-hander J.P. Howell and right-hander Andy Sonnanstine were promoted from Triple-A Durham to join the revamped rotation.

Tampa Bay’s Akinori Iwamura had a third-inning RBI single. He drove in Josh Wilson, who’s two-out double was the first Devil Rays’ hit in 24 at-bats going back to Friday night’s 4-1 loss to the Royals.

A ball Iwamura chased in the bullpen down the third-base line in the eighth inning bounced up and hit him in the face. He was checked by a team trainer and stayed in the game for the rest of the inning but was then removed.

The Devil Rays loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, but failed to score when Perez struck out B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford. Crawford entered 4-for-4 with the bases loaded this season.

Notes: Jackson struck out four and walked four during a 91-pitch outing. He is one loss away from Tanyon Sturtze’s team-record of eight straight losses to start a season set in 2002. … Iwamura batted leadoff for the first time this season. Devil Ray manager Joe Maddon said it is possible that the former Japanese Central League star might will hit there full-time. … Royals DH Mike Sweeney was out of the lineup with flulike symptoms. … Kansas City RHP Scott Elarton, Sunday’s scheduled starter, is 0-5 with a 9.13 ERA in five career games against Tampa Bay.

AP-ES-06-02-07 2226EDT