Jones on Morse and more (updated)

NEW YORK - Michael Morse won't join the Orioles for tonight's game against the Yankees, and he may not get here before Sunday. There's a convenience factor to having Morse arrive on Sunday. Rosters can expand and the Orioles wouldn't have to make room for him. Update: Upon further review, Morse has to be placed on the 25-man roster by 11:59 p.m. Saturday to be eligible for the playoffs. A corresponding move, however brief, will be required. Reporters will meet shortly with manager Buck Showalter, who may be able to provide an exact date for Morse's debut. Center fielder Adam Jones was Morse's teammate with the Mariners in 2006-07, though only briefly during the second season. "We know him," Jones said. "I think he'll fit in. We've got a bunch of weird guys in here. He'll come in here and he'll probably hang out with (Danny) Valencia because they have the whole south Florida connection, but he's a good teammate. "I know that at this point in his career, he wants to win and play on a contending team. I think this is a good opportunity for him and for us. "There are uses for him. It's not like you guys will get to know him personally, but the team will. Basically, I like the move. Everybody's seen what he can do. And just imagine if he comes here and he's going into a free agent year, he can set up his future nice if he comes here and has a very nice strong September and helps us with this playoff push." Executive vice president Dan Duquette has added Morse and pitchers Scott Feldman, Bud Norris and Francisco Rodriguez since early July. "It means we're not out of it. That's what it means," Jones said. "We're factors. We can close this gap. We can win. We can win this year, and I like that instead of them saying, 'Give us a couple of years.' No, this is the year. You've got to win this year. If you don't, you can do it next year. "It's showing us players our front office is behind us. Behind closed doors, they're behind us, and they want us to win, and they're trying to formulate a team to win and make a move. I've been there when we were big-time sellers. Not even sellers, because nobody wanted nobody from here. Now, we've got the opportunity to be buyers. "It's not like we're going out and increasing the payroll by $25, $30 million. We're going out and getting guys that are very good pieces to teams, guys that can really help. I think Morse will come in and he'll be very impactful." Jones doesn't care if some people are counting out the Orioles. He's taking the same stance as Showalter. The more doubters, the better. "We play 162 games," Jones said. "I think we're at game 131, something like that. What's the point of us playing if we think we're out? Everybody's got an opinion. We've got to play the game. The game's got to be played." Asked what the Orioles need to do in order to make a run at the postseason, Jones replied, "We've been doing everything. It's just a matter of doing it as one group. "We've had stretches where we've thrown the ball well, we ain't hit. We've had stretches where we've hit and haven't pitched real well. The constant is we've been playing defense. We show and we've been accountable for that. "The thing is, we've got to get in sync. We get a stretch where we reel off six, seven quality starts, we can reel off six, seven wins. We put ourselves right where we want to be, so ain't nobody in here quitting. If they are, I'm pretty sure I'll get in their face soon to let them know. Like I said, that's why I like this team the way it's been built. You've got a bunch of guys that want to win and don't care how it happens. They just want to high-five at the end of the game." Note: The Orioles have transferred infielder Ryan Flaherty from low Single-A Delmarva to Single-A Frederick. Flaherty was 2-for-8 in two games with Delmarva. He'll stay with the Keys until their season ends on Monday.