KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Taj Bradley delivered a dominating start after three straight rough outings, and Danny Jansen hit a two-run homer as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Tuesday.

The win continued the Rays’ month-plus run as the majors’ best team, improving their record to 28-14 since May 9 and 23-9 since May 20, both best in the big leagues. Overall, they are 44-35, matching their season-high at nine games over .500.

It also started the Rays’ long stretch of road games, with 16 of their next 19 leading to the All-Star break away from Steinbrenner Field, 35 of 47 (with only 12 home games until Aug. 19) and 53 of their remaining 84.

Bradley delivered a dazzling performance, retiring the first 16 Royals without much of a fight.

He allowed his first baserunner with one out in the sixth, walking No. 8 hitter John Rave. An out later, he gave up his first hit, a ground-rule double to Jonathan India. After a visit from pitching coach Kyle Snyder, Bradley got a huge out, retiring Bobby Witt Jr. on a liner to left.

Bradley allowed a two-out single in the seventh to veteran Salvador Perez on his 87th and, it turned out, final pitch.

For the night, he yielded only the two hits, walked one and struck out four, throwing 57 strikes. He improved his record to 5-5 with a 4.57 ERA.

Bradley had worked a total of only 9 1/3 innings over his previous three starts, allowing 19 runs (13 earned), 16 hits and seven walks.

Snyder and Rays manager Kevin Cash said they were confident the 24-year-old Bradley could turn things around.

Cash said before the game the key was that “he’s got to get the ball over the plate more consistently.”

The Rays grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second. Jose Caballero singled off Royals lefty Kris Bubic with two outs, and Jansen followed with a home run, his fourth in June and eighth of the season.

They added on with single runs in the fourth and fifth, both with help from Royals miscues.

In the fourth, Jonathan Aranda singled, went to third when the Royals botched Jake Mangum’s potential double-play grounder and scored on Jansen’s sacrifice fly.

In the fifth, Yandy Diaz reached on an infield single — his third hit of the night — went to second on Curtis Mead’s single and scored when Bubic scooped Aranda’s slow roller and flipped it errantly past first.

The Rays made it 5-0 in the eighth when Junior Caminero doubled, went to third on Aranda’s single and scored on Mangum’s fielder’s choice grounder.

The Royals got a run in the ninth off reliever Kevin Kelly.

Wednesday: vs. Royals

7:40, p.m. ET Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City

Rays — RH Drew Rasmussen (6-5, 2.61); Royals — RH Michael Wacha (4-6, 3.24)

Info: raysbaseball.com

On deck

Thursday: at Royals, 2:10 p.m. Rays — RH Shane Baz (7-3, 4.79); Royals — RH Michael Lorenzen (4-7, 4.81)

Friday: at Orioles, 7:05 p.m. Rays — RH Ryan Pepiot (5-6, 3.04); Orioles — RH Zach Eflin (6-4, 5.46)

Saturday: at Orioles, 4:05 p.m. Rays — RH Zack Littell (6-7, 3.78); Orioles — RH Dean Kremer (6-7, 4.60)

Sunday: at Orioles, 1:35 p.m. Rays — RH Taj Bradley (5-5, 4.57); Orioles — LH Trevor Rogers (1-0, 1.62)

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