ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Mark DeRosa hit a two-run homer, one of Texas’ three in the game, and the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7-5.

Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson hit back-to-back homers for Texas, which has won nine of 12. The Rangers swept the two games from Tampa Bay to win a fourth consecutive road series for the first time since 1992.

Robinson Tejeda (1-0) won in his Texas debut, allowing two runs, three hits and six walks in five innings. He was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma before the game.

Tejeda, acquired in an April 1 trade with Philadelphia, went 4-3 with a 3.57 ERA with the Phillies last season. Akinori Otsuka, the sixth Texas reliever, pitched the ninth for his third save.

Damon Hollins had a solo homer for the Devil Rays, who have lost 10 of 14.

DeRosa gave Texas a 4-2 lead with the two-run homer off Mark Hendrickson (1-2) in the fifth. He went 3-for-4 and has six hits in 10 at-bats since being activated from the 15-day disabled list Sunday. The second baseman had been sidelined by a sprained left foot.

Hendrickson gave up six runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Mench, who had a seven-game home run streak last month, and Wilkerson hit connected in the sixth to make it 6-2. Mench has 23 RBIs in his last 16 games.

Tampa Bay got within 6-4 on Toby Hall’s two-run single in the seventh, and Ty Wigginton’s RBI-single in the eighth cut the Devil Rays’ deficit to 6-5.

Wigginton made it 1-0 with a sacrifice fly in the first and Hollins homered in the second.

Texas tied it in the third on an RBI-grounder by Rod Barajas and Michael Young’s run-scoring double. Young had another RBI-double in the ninth.

Notes: Rangers RHP Antonio Alfonseca left in the eighth with a left foot injury. … Devil Rays 3B Aubrey Huff (left knee) is scheduled to play Wednesday and Thursday for Class-A Visalia and then be activated from the disabled list Friday. … Rangers CF Gary Matthews Jr. was out of the lineup with a sore left foot. … Tampa Bay SS Julio Lugo (abdominal muscle) could return by early next week. … Devil Rays 2B Jorge Cantu (left foot) is working out, but will likely miss at least two more weeks. … Texas placed LHP Fabio Castro (left groin) on the 15-day disabled list.

AP-ES-05-02-06 2229EDT


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