Beltre inches closer to 3,000 hits with 2 RBI singles

Adrian Beltre can smell history.

In the midst of his chase for 3,000 hits in his storied 20-year MLB career, the Texas Rangers third baseman added another two Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, finishing the night 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles.

Though his first at-bat resulted in a disappointing groundout in the opening frame, Beltre fared much better in the third when he plated Nomar Mazara from second with a bloop single to center field to make it 5-0 for Texas.

In his next at-bat in the fifth inning, Beltre added another run to the Rangers' mounting lead, as his hard-hit grounder evaded a diving Ruben Tejada at shortstop to score Mazara again.

Beltre's two-hit performance now virtually guarantees the iconic third baseman will join the 3,000-hit club in front of his home fans - provided he doesn't fool around with anymore on-deck circles. The Rangers host Baltimore for another two games this weekend before they prepare for another three-game homestand against the Seattle Mariners.

Beltre is aiming to become just the 31st player in MLB history to record 3,000 hits. Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was the last player to accomplish the feat, doing so in August last season against the Colorado Rockies.