Beltran keeps hitting into his third decade

ST. PETERSBURG -- One of these days, Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltrán is going to act his age. It doesn't look like that is going to be happening any time soon though.
"Maybe his speed is down a little bit compared to his early days," Astros manager A.J. Hinch joked. "I don't think he's cared about Father Time. He's still a pretty complete player."
Just three days shy of his 40th birthday, Beltran had another stellar performance at the plate. The veteran slugger went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday night.
"That's what it's all about," Beltran said. "I think we have a good team and we feel that our lineup can hit and we've come back in a few games before so we were confident if we continue[d] to grind at-bats and put quality at-bats up, we were going to find a way to score."
In his first plate appearance, Beltran turned on an Alex Cobb changeup and sent a solo shot to the 370-mark in right-center. In the fourth, Beltran slapped a single through the right side that was just out of the reach of a diving Brad Miller. He later came around to score on a single by catcher Brian McCann.
Beltran, who signed a one-year, $16 million deal with Houston in December, is now batting .274 with two home runs and seven RBIs this season. His 40th birthday isn't the only milestone he is likely to reach in the next week. His 539 career doubles are currently tied with Al Simmons for 37th on the all-time list. He needs just seven more RBIs to pass Fred McGriff for 46th all-time.
He also loves to share the wisdom he has accrued from two decades in the game to the next generation, making him more valuable than just his offensive production.
"I'm just happy to help the younger guys," Beltran said. "I love to study the game. I like to come early and look at the pitchers and see tendencies, and if I see something they're doing, I want to use that to my advantage and at the same time pass it on to the younger guys."
"He is a great presence on our team. He's a stabilizer when it comes to everything, from the mental side of the game with some of our younger players, to the controlled at-bats in the middle of the lineup that 20 years in the league will get you," Hinch said. "He's just a very influential presence on a team that needed that."