"The fist pump going around first base, admittedly a bit out of character, was the first sign of just how good Evan Longoria felt. The second was the huge grin — "Alfred E. Neuman,'' manager Joe Maddon offered for those familiar with Mad magazine — as he crossed home plate.

At some point, Longoria was going to become Longoria again. And Tuesday night, when he hit a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth to give the Rays a hard-fought 5-4 win over the Rangers, was as good a time as any to put his extended struggles aside and come through with his biggest hit of the season.

"It's been a process over the past 2½ weeks, and it was pretty relieving to come through in a situation where the team is looking to you,'' Longoria said. "It definitely was a relief.''

Longoria delivered the biggest blow before the Tropicana Field gathering of 12,783, but he had help as the Rays battled from three deficits, and overcame some sloppiness, to improve to 29-25. Rookie Alex Cobb overcame a shaky 27-pitch first to give them a solid 61/3-inning effort in his second big-league start, and Sean Rodriguez, with a solo shot in the third, and Matt Joyce, with a two-run blast — off another lefty — in the seventh hit tying homers.

And after a wild pitch by Joel Peralta and wobbly pursuit by catcher Kelly Shoppach gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth, Longoria, returned to cleanup after three days leading off, came through with a towering drive off lefty Arthur Rhodes that just cleared the metal grating atop the leftfield wall. "