With 3,000 behind him, Beltre trying to will Rangers to postseason

The final peak to climb in the race to 3,000 hits might have felt like the steepest, though Adrian Beltre went from 2,989 to the magical number in only 20 at-bats over five-plus games.

It’s been all downhill in the week since he stamped his passport to the Hall of Fame. He joined 30 others in the 3,000 Hit Club only seven days ago.

“It’s gone by fast,” Beltre said. “It feels like it just happened yesterday.”

But it’s in the past, and the future is now for the Texas Rangers.

Beltre is the most vocal of the Rangers players who insist they remain in the playoff picture. The ship for a third straight American League West crown sailed a long time ago, but the second wild-card spot is still at port.

Yes, the Rangers traded right-hander Yu Darvish at the non-tender trade deadline, but they are still closer to the last spot in the postseason tournament than they were the AL West lead at this point in 2015.

“I wanted to get it over with so we can concentrate on what we need to do here, somehow find a way to get in the playoffs,” Beltre said. “The bottom line is we need to start going.”

Beltre helped get the Rangers going early Sunday, connecting for a three-run homer in a five-run first inning, but the lead was short-lived as the Minnesota Twins rallied against Nick Martinez and eked out a run in the fifth against Austin Bibens-Dirkx for a 6-5 victory.

The Rangers avoided losing Beltre to a scary incident in the third inning as he watched from the dugout railing.

He was hit in the head by a foul ball as Mike Napoli batted in the third. Beltre, serving as the designated hitter, immediately headed toward the clubhouse and stayed there until his next at-bat in the fifth.

The Rangers said that Beltre went through the concussion protocol and was able to continue playing. He bounced into a fielder’s choice with runners at second and third in the fifth and was robbed of a game-tying single in the seventh.

“I saw the ball all the way,” said Beltre, who saw the ball skip before hitting him. “I just didn’t want it to hit my face.”

That wasn’t the only hit Beltre took in the aftermath of his 3,000th hit. Sports talking head Doug Gottlieb, the former poor free-throw shooter at Oklahoma State, insinuated in a tweet that Beltre is using performance-enhancing drugs.

Gottlieb was strongly rebuked, though he accomplished the goal of people learning his name while dragging Beltre’s through the mud. Beltre, for his part, is doing his best to ignore someone he never knew existed and focus in on the final 51 games of the season.

“My mind is still busy on what to do for this ballclub,” Beltre said. “I don’t think I have time to sit around and focus on what personally I’ve done but to find away to get this team. I have to stop thinking about myself. I don’t have time to do that. It was a nice accomplishment. I’m grateful, but I really haven’t sent down and taken it all in yet.”

Joey Gallo also connected in the Rangers’ big first inning, a two-run shot that gives him 30 homers on the season. The blast to right field wowed Target Field fans, and the estimated distance of 438 feet caused some debate in the press box.

But Beltre and Gallo can’t do all the heavy lifting. They need help from others in the lineup and especially on the mound. Martinez wasn’t up to the task of protecting a 5-0 first-inning lead.

The right-hander surrendered four runs in the second on a pair of two-run homers by Max Kepler and Brian Dozier that sandwiched a brief rain delay. Eddie Rosario tied it in the third with a solo shot to knot the score.

The Twins took the lead in the fifth with a run against Bibens-Dirkx, and starter Jose Berrios and three relievers held the Rangers scoreless over the final eight innings.

Beltre was left to keep trying to figure out how to get the up-and-down Rangers winning more consistently, and was left with a knot on the back of his head.

With 3,000 hits behind him, that’s his focus now. Winning has always been his focus.

“That’s his approach to the game,” shortstop Elvis Andrus said. “He’s going to keep getting hits. He’s going to have plenty more. But he wants to win. Deep down, that’s what he always cares about — getting to the World Series and winning it.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2017 at 6:22 PM with the headline "With 3,000 behind him, Beltre trying to will Rangers to postseason."