NEW YORK -- Chris Flexen tugged at the boxing robe given to the MVP of a New York Mets win, trying to lengthen it a bit so the robe -- clearly designed for someone shorter than the 6-foot-3 Flexen -- didn't rest so close to his gym shorts.

Finally, Flexen looked up with a grin.

"It's nice," Flexen said. "Good enough."

The robe and accompanying crown certainly fit Flexen on Tuesday night, when the 23-year-old rookie earned his first major league win and also collected his first career hit to lead the Mets to a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers.

"It's crazy," Flexen said of the dual accomplishments. "It's such an awesome feeling. It's awesome that it happened here at Citi Field, too."

Flexen, who lasted only three innings in each of his first two big league starts, improved to 1-1 after allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over 5 2/3 innings. He had only two 1-2-3 innings but wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second and stranded a runner at third in the fifth.

"Once in a while, you've got to have some patience and you've got to bite the bullet and give them a little chance to get a sense of what it takes to pitch in the big leagues, as we've done with others in the past," Mets manager Terry Collins said.

Collins said he hoped the solid outing would help propel Flexen, who was promoted from Double-A Binghamton on July 27 to add some depth to the Mets' injury-wracked rotation. Only one member of the Opening Day rotation, ace Jacob deGrom, has avoided the disabled list.

"He's got a good arm and he's got good stuff," Collins said of Flexen. "And I think this kind of thing may get him going to where (we) see a lot better stuff in the next few outings."

The Mets presented Flexen with a bottle of champagne for the win as well a case holding the baseball from his first hit, a double in the fifth inning. The ball was tossed into the Mets' dugout by Adrian Beltre, the newest member of baseball's 3,000-hit club.

"That's awesome," Flexen said with another grin. "That speaks for itself."

The Mets (50-60), who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for only the second time in their past nine games, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a leadoff homer by Michael Conforto and a two-out shot by Yoenis Cespedes.

New York doubled the lead in the second on a two-run homer by Travis d'Arnaud. The Rangers pulled to within 4-1 in the fifth, when Joey Gallo homered, and they chased Flexen in the sixth when Beltre hit a one-out homer before Carlos Gomez drew a two-out walk.

Gallo greeted Erik Goeddel with an RBI double, but Goeddel, Jerry Blevins and AJ Ramos combined to retire the next nine batters before Robinson Chirinos hit a two-out homer in the ninth.

Ramos sealed his 21st save, and his first for the Mets since he was acquired from the Miami Marlins on July 28, by retiring Drew Robinson on a grounder to first.

Gallo and Chirinos each had two hits for the Rangers (53-59), who have lost three of four and seven of 10.

The homer was the 3,006th career hit for Beltre, who had to answer questions afterward about umpire Joe West receiving a three-game suspension from Major League Baseball for saying Beltre complains more than any other player. West said he was joking, and Beltre agreed.

"I play around with him, he plays around with me, and that was it," Beltre said. "I didn't think it was a big deal. I'm sad that it happened. Nothing we can do now, but I don't think it was necessary."

Texas right-hander A.J. Griffin (5-3), pressed into duty a day earlier than expected when scheduled started Andrew Cashner was scratched because of a stiff neck, took the loss. He allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings.

"I had plenty of notice and I felt good, but they just capitalized on a few mistake pitches there," Griffin said.

NOTES: The Rangers announced after the game LHP Martin Perez will start Wednesday's series finale. ... The Rangers placed RHP Keone Kela (right shoulder) on the 10-day disabled list and purchased the contract of RHP Ricky Rodriguez from Double-A Frisco. ... Mets RHP Matt Harvey (shoulder) threw a 20-pitch simulated game. It was the first time he faced batters since going on the disabled list June 16. ... Mets RF/1B Jay Bruce went 0-for-3 in his return to the lineup after missing two games because of a stiff neck.