Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Ramon Vazquez went 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs batted in, as the Texas Rangers held on to edge the New York Mets, 8-7, in the opener of a twinbill at Shea Stadium.

Gerald Laird added three hits, including a double, while Milton Bradley homered and made a crucial throw-out at home for the Rangers, who had lost two straight, including the series opener on Friday.

Ian Kinsler went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI, and has reached base safely in 28 consecutive games.

Kevin Millwood (5-3) was solid in six innings of work, giving up two runs on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts. It was his first road win since Father's Day of last season, June 17 against the Cincinnati Reds. Millwood had lost his next 10 decisions away from home until Sunday.

"I feel like I threw the ball pretty good," Millwood said. "It wasn't the best outing ever, but I felt like I made pitches when I needed to, felt like I gave us a chance."

Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado each finished with two hits, a solo homer, and two RBI for the Mets, who have lost seven of nine. Beltran's two hits gave him 1,500 for his career.

John Maine (6-5) took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, though he struck out five and walked none.

In a one-run game, Texas' offense tacked on four runs in the seventh inning. Singles from David Murphy and Laird put runners on the corners with one out, signaling the end of Maine's day. Pedro Feliciano entered and had a disastrous outing, as he threw a wild pitch that allowed Laird to go to second, then gave up a two-run single to pinch-hitter Brandon Boggs.

Joe Smith came on in relief, but was similarly ineffective, as Kinsler turned on a pitch and blasted it well beyond the left field wall, boosting the Rangers' lead to 7-2.

In the top of the eighth, Bradley hit a one-out solo shot in the same direction as Kinsler's homer, but even farther, and the Texas advantage grew to six runs.

All the offensive production ended up being critical when the Mets put together a rally in the home eighth.

Beltran scored the first run, as he walked with one out, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Delgado's bloop single to left. A Trot Nixon double and Brian Schneider walk loaded the bases, and ended Frank Francisco's day on the mound.

Eddie Guardado entered and got pinch-hitter Damion Easley to hit a sharp grounder to third for a prospective double play. But Kinsler didn't handle the throw from Vazquez, Delgado scored and the bases remained full.

A line single to center from pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis plated Nixon, and the Mets were within 8-5. But after Jose Reyes hit a fly ball to right for the second out, Bradley made a hard, on-target throw home to get Schneider and end the inning.

"No one wants to get thrown out there," Schneider said. "You never want to end an inning like that. But I'm not going to sit here and second guess the call at third base. We were making a good little rally there."

That play was essential, as C.J. Wilson got into major trouble while trying to close out the game. After Luis Castillo singled and David Wright walked to start, Beltran smacked a single to left for one run.

But Delgado then hit a grounder to second for a double play, leaving only Wright on base at third. New York got within a run when pinch-hitter Ramon Castro singled in Wright later on, but Wilson finally ended the contest when he got Easley to fly out to left.

Texas got the game's first run when Kinsler hit a grounder just under Reyes' glove at short that brought in Laird. But in the fourth, Delgado blasted a solo homer off the scoreboard in right-center field to tie the game.

The Rangers edged back in front in the fifth, when, with Frank Catalanotto on base, Vazquez turned on a high fastball and lofted it over the right field fence. Beltran's leadoff homer in the sixth, however, got the Mets back within a run at 3-2.