PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pirates manager Gene Lamont got his 508th career win Friday night from the comfort of his living room in Florida.

Pat Meares and Warren Morris homered as Pittsburgh extended its winning streak to a season-high four games by beating the Kansas City Royals 9-3.

Lamont was home in Sarasota, Fla., where he will attend his daughter's high school graduation ceremony Saturday. Bench coach Rick Renick ran the club in his absence and the phone was ringing as soon as Renick reached the office after the game.

"Gene called and congratulated me," Renick said. "He watched it on TV and told us, 'Good game.' "

Lamont dialed up the Pirates on his satellite dish and saw the team rebound from a 3-1 deficit, then blow open the game with a five-run eighth against Jason Raker.

"You can't walk people," Royals manager Tony Muser said. "Walks and home runs kill you."

The Royals gave up both. Miguel Batista (1-4) walked three straight in the first inning to force in a run. Raker's trouble started when he opened his inning with a pair of walks.

Morris and Meares took care of the home runs.

"I think sometimes we rely too much on Brian Giles and Wil Cordero for home runs and Jason Kendall for the big hit," Meares said. "We've all been coming through lately. That's what I like about this winning streak. Everybody is contributing up and down the lineup."

The Pirates fell behind 3-1 in the second when Jermaine Dye and Gregg Zaun homered off Todd Ritchie (3-3).

Meares hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Batista after Kevin Young drew a leadoff walk. It was Meares' fifth and tied the score at 3.

Morris led off the fourth with his second home run and first since April 29. He had gone 99 at-bats without one.

Ritchie pitched seven innings, allowing three runs and four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. It was just the second time in his last five starts that Ritchie was charged with fewer than five earned runs.

Dye's home run was his 15th. Zaun's second came after Joe Randa's single.

John Vander Wal had a two-run double in the eighth and Meares and Morris had RBI singles. It was a miserable homecoming for Rakers, who lives in Pittsburgh and had family members in attendance.

"It's always difficult for an athlete to perform when you go home but professionalism is professionalism, too, and you have to know how to handle that," Muser said.

"That's not the way I wanted to pitch in my first game at Three Rivers Stadium," Rakers said.

Batista has lost three consecutive starts and is 0-4 against Pittsburgh. He gave up a single to Kendall in the first and walked three consecutive batters to give the Pirates their first run.

The Pirates hadn't won four consecutive games since July 31-Aug. 4 last year.

Game notes
In eight starts with the Royals, Batista has allowed at least four earned runs seven times. ... Kansas City pitchers have given up 95 home runs in 53 games, most in the major leagues. ... Kendall had two singles and been held without a hit just once in the last 17 games. ... Ritchie made his first start since Monday's announcement of a two-year contract extension worth about $5.25 million.