KANSAS CITY — Carl Crawford’s tiebreaking, two-run triple with two outs in the eighth inning sent the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Carlos Pena added a home run in the ninth, helping Tampa Bay extend its AL East lead to two games over Boston.

Crawford, who had his seventh career two-triple game and second of the season, drove Horacio Ramirez’s pitch to right-center in the eighth, scoring Akinori Iwamura and B.J. Upton to give the Rays a 4-2 lead.

Al Reyes (2-2) earned the win with a scoreless seventh inning. Troy Percival, who returned from the disabled list last Sunday, worked the ninth for his 22nd save in 24 opportunities. He gave up a run on Ross Gload’s leadoff triple and Esteban German’s single.

Ramirez (1-1) took the loss. He retired the first eight batters he faced before Iwamura singled and Upton doubled to shallow right with two outs in the eighth.

Pena hit his 17th homer leading off the ninth. He is batting .393 with four home runs and 11 RBIs against the Royals this season.

Rays left-hander Scott Kazmir, who is 2-4 in his past nine starts, left after five innings with the score tied at 2. He yielded two runs and seven hits, walking none and striking out five.

After a 73-minute rain delay, the Royals tied it in the fifth when Jose Guillen’s single scored Mark Grudzielanek, who had three doubles to match a career high.