BALTIMORE _ Adrian Beltre says the Texas Rangers do not need to be sellers at the July 31 trade deadline, but in order to convince general manager Jon Daniels of that, the team needs to start winning more games.
Beltre knows what an extended string of losses could mean as Daniels decides if the Rangers will be sellers over the next 11 days.
"This is a time where a team normally chooses are we going to be a buyer or be a (seller)," Beltre said. "Our team is not helping right now. I would like our team to start winning ballgames so that we can convince everybody, especially our GM, that we are a buyer. I'm a buyer."
The Rangers carried a three-game losing streak into the third game in the four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles and have slipped to three games below .500. Though only three games out of the second wild-card entry into the postseason, the Rangers are hardly trending the right way.
The offense posted a .179 average in its first five games of the second half, the worst in the majors by six points. The rotation posted four straight quality starts before Tyson Ross allowed nine runs (eight earned) Tuesday in 31/3 innings.
Beltre entered Wednesday 18 hits shy of 3,000 but placed himself among those who are struggling at the plate. Mike Napoli, batting .357 since the All-Star break, was the only regular hitter better than .250.
But Beltre still believes the club has time to come together and make the postseason.
"We're still contenders. There's no doubt," he said. "We haven't played the way we've been wanting to play, and we're still right there. We're still looking at the division even though it's a little farther away than we want it to be.
"It doesn't matter how we get in the playoffs. If we get there, that's good enough. We believe we have the team to do it, but we've got to find a way to be more consistent winning ballgames _ scoring more runs, being more consistent defensively and pitching better. We all have to do everything together to find a way to get to our goals."
Napoli is on the same page as Beltre. If the Rangers were to fall behind any further in the wild-card hunt, Daniels could attempt to trade any of the six players who will be free agents after the season.
Napoli is in that group that also includes catcher Jonathan Lucroy, center fielder Carlos Gomez and right-handers Yu Darvish, Andrew Cashner and Ross.
"I thought that a couple of weeks ago that we needed to start playing better and get on a roll," Napoli said. "If not, we are going to be in trouble. If we don't get going, it's not going to be pretty."
Daniels said over the weekend that he expects the Rangers to be contenders and isn't expecting a sell-off. But he also understands that circumstances change and that he at least has to listen to trade proposals if the postseason begins to look like a long shot.
That's what Beltre wants to avoid. He said that he has conveyed his sentiments to Daniels, though not recently. It's Beltre's belief that Daniels believes in the Rangers and should consider adding a piece or two to improve their playoff chances.
The Rangers have been linked to a few relievers, and it is widely believed that they are showcasing Lucroy with the hope of trading him for a roster upgrade or prospects.
"Any help that he can bring, we will take it," Beltre said. "I do not want to see this team dismantled, that's for sure. That's not what we're here looking forward to. I hope he understands that and I hope that he believes in this team or he can get us some help.
"It's been on my mind that I hope he doesn't think along that route. I will be really disappointed. We're here in this clubhouse trying to win ballgames even though we haven't played the way we wanted to. We don't want our team, our ballplayers or the GM to think that somehow we're out or looking like we're going to be out."
