ST. PETERSBURG -- The bat flipped out of Tim Beckham's hands after his eighth-inning at-bat. The ball whizzed to the same sweet spot in right-center field that it had one inning before.
Beckham could smell three bases again, just as he had in the seventh. He sprinted out of the box and continued as his helmet flew off when he rounded first base. When he pulled into the third base, he lifted his head up and nodded, not so much as a grin crossing his face.
"I know what I can do," Beckham said. "I know what I bring to the table.