Tejeda, a hard-throwing right-hander, has added a drop-down angle to his traditional delivery to give batters even more fits.

"He started that in September just to give them another look and also another pitch for him to feel confident to work in the zone," catcher Buck said. "I think he feels comfortable if something is moving. It helps him to be a little more aggressive with the strike zone and add a little funk to it. It is hard to pick up. Usually guys when they drop down, it doesn't come in as hard. I think his goes harder."

Tejeda walked Hank Blalock to leadoff the fourth and gave up a run-scoring double to Marlon Byrd. Tejeda then struck out Frank Catalannotto, Jarrod Saltamacchia and Justin Smoak, all looking.

"He hit a lot of pitches right on the black in that series and he located that backdoor slider or cutter, whatever he wants to call it," Buck said. "When you got somebody throwing that hard with four pitches for strikes and able to locate on the black like that with two different arm angles, it doesn't make it real easy to hit."

Tejeda, who gave up one run and four hits, lowered his earned run average to 1.74.

Buck hit an opposite-field home run in the sixth off Frank Francisco.

"It is funny how when you're not trying to do that and all of a sudden you get that," Buck said. "I was trying to hit that line drive at second. I got some good wood on it and got a better result than I expected."

Joaquin Arias had three hits and Catalanotto two, including a double, for the Rangers, while the Royals managed just four hits.

"We out-hit them, but they got the right hits at the right time," said Rangers coach Jackie Moore, who was the acting manager of the split squad.

Royals rookie right-hander Julio Pimentel came out in the eighth after throwing a pitch to Blalock with an apparent elbow injury. He was sent for a MRI.

Notes: Rangers manager Ron Washington named RHP Kevin Millwood his starting pitcher for the April 6 season opener against Cleveland. It will be Millwood's fourth consecutive opening day start, which would be a Rangers record. ... RHP Vicente Padilla, who started against Kansas City and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks, will start the second game. ...Texas LHP Kason Gabbard, who had elbow surgery last July to remove a bone spur, worked a hitless inning in his spring training debut.