Adam Jones on Dariel Alvarez: "He just needs reps"

The Astros won yesterday and are one victory away from advancing to the American League Championship Series.

The Rangers lost last night, but they're still one victory away from advancing to the ALCS.

I spent most of September talking about an epic ALCS between the Blue Jays and Royals, unable to decide on a favorite. It may happen anyway, but the odds remain stacked against it.

Meanwhile, Chase Utley is starting a new business venture for his post-baseball days. If your friends introduce you to someone and it's not working out, he'll burst into the room and break up your double date.

(Caution: This joke is still under construction)

Adam Jones just completed his eighth season with the Orioles, providing another reminder that time really flies. It doesn't seem that long ago to me.

An assortment of injuries limited Jones to 137 games this year, his lowest total since 2009, when he appeared in only 119 because of a sprained left ankle and made his first All-Star team.

Jones, who is four home runs shy of 200 for his career, played in only one game after Sept. 20 due to back tightness and spasms. Gerardo Parra and Nolan Reimold shared center field duties in his absence.

Reimold is expected to remain on the 40-man roster and compete for a job in spring training, though it's hard to nail down a team's plans in October. That's the current intention.

Parra is a pending free agent and the Orioles want to re-sign him despite his decline in production after coming to Baltimore in a July 31 trade. Parra batted .328/.369/.517 with 24 doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 31 RBIs in 100 games with the Brewers and .237/.268/.357 with 12 doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs in 55 games with the Orioles.

Parra, who cost the Orioles minor league pitcher Zach Davies, went 9-for-17 with two doubles and five RBIs in the last four games to leave his overall slash line at .291/.328/.452 in 155 games this season. He hit safely in eight of his final 11 games, batting .295/.340/.386.

Because the games remained meaningful to the Orioles over the final week based on their opponents, manager Buck Showalter felt like he had to put his "best foot forward" and resist the urge to critique his younger players and get a head start on spring training. Dariel Alvarez cracked the lineup only once after Sept. 18, with Showalter choosing Reimold and Steve Pearce when he wanted right-handed hitters in the outfield.

Jones saw enough of Parra and Alvarez that he could offer an opinion of their defense on both sides of him.

"I played against (Parra) coming up in the minors a little bit and in Venezuela," said Jones, a four-time Gold Glove winner. "The best thing about him is he's a ballplayer, he's an old-school ballplayer who always wants to be dirty. I like that.

"He's got one of the best arms in baseball. He's got two Gold Gloves - one in right, one in left. He stands pretty high."

Parra also stood out for his astute baserunning, going from first to third in one game to set up an important run.

"He's a ballplayer," Jones said. "That's what I love about him."

Alvarez turns 27 next month, so he's losing "kid" status. He made it to the majors this summer, going 7-for-29 with a home run and eight strikeouts, but is still working to gain the organization's trust and contribute more than just a plus throwing arm.

"He just needs more reps, he needs reps here at the major league level," Jones said. "That's all. Once he gets reps, he'll be fine, because he's a good talent. He just needs reps."

What about that arm?

"His arm's better than Parra's," Jones said.