Making sense of the postseason roster

The Orioles have to set their 25-man American League Wild Card roster by Friday at 10 a.m. ET and –excluding injured players – they will need to trim down six more.

Starters Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen could be removed for the Wild Card and added for the Division Series if the Orioles advance –clearing spots for more potential relievers such as Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton behind starter Joe Saunders– and Steve Tolleson, Omar Quintanilla and Lew Ford are also considered on the bubble.

“You try to prepare for as many situations as possible and you look at your lineup, as far as position players and what you would actually do,” manager Buck Showalter said. “It’s like when someone says it’s not necessarily about pitching, it’s about pitching. Usually, the team that pitches the best wins those games.

“You’ll see us err on the side of pitching.”

Following Wednesday’s game in Tampa, the Orioles left four players in fall instructional league in nearby Sarasota, Fla.: Dylan Bundy, Luis Exposito, Bill Hall and Zach Phillips. Outfielder LJ Hoes was sent to instructs earlier in the week and Steve Pearce was ineligible for the postseason roster because he was acquired so late.