Orioles set first-round playoff roster with 14 position players, 12 pitchers

BALTIMORE — There were no big surprises as the Orioles set their 26-man roster with 14 position players and 12 pitchers for the start of the AL Wild Card Series against Kansas City on Tuesday.

That’s good news as it was last October that Baltimore announced it was shutting down projected Game 3 starter John Means with left elbow soreness hours before the start of the AL Division Series that resulted in a three-game sweep against eventual World Series champion Texas.

As expected, starter Albert Suarez was left off the opening-round roster after he threw 71 pitches over six innings to earn the win in the season finale at Minnesota on Sunday. The 34-year-old right-hander remains a strong candidate to start in a potential Division Series tilt with the New York Yankees, especially if the opening series against the Royals goes the full three games.

The Orioles have yet to announce their Game 2 starter, but Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer are the starters projected to follow ace Corbin Burnes in this best-of-three series.

The only relative surprise was the decision to keep reliever Colin Selby over right-hander Matt Bowman since Selby logged only three scoreless appearances with the Orioles and five total appearances in the majors this season. The 26-year-old appeared in two games for the Royals in early May and pitched to a mediocre 4.24 ERA in 17 innings for Triple-A Norfolk this season, but he struck out 26 batters for the Tides.

“We just felt Selby, in the couple games he’s thrown for us, [has] shown really, really good stuff,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just from a matchup standpoint, we wanted that extra right-hander in the bullpen. He’s got a 97-mph fastball, really good slider. We’re excited to add him.”

After growing optimism in recent days about the status of Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals indeed included their first baseman on the opening-round roster. Pasquantino is not expected to be able to play the field, but he was set to serve as the designated hitter and bat third in Game 1.

Despite breaking his right thumb on Aug. 29, Pasquantino finished third on the Royals in home runs (19), runs batted in (97), and on-base plus slugging percentage (.760) this season.

“His approach in the box, it’s incredible. I faced him last year, [and] he’s not a guy I like to face,” scheduled Game 2 Royals starter Seth Lugo said. “But with the way his mind works and the way he communicates to the rest of the team, I think everyone else around him benefits as far as hitters go. It’s pretty incredible that he’s back, and we’re really happy for it.”

Despite facing All-Star lefty starter Cole Ragans, Hyde and the Orioles elected to keep center fielder Cedric Mullins in their Game 1 lineup rather than going with the right-handed Austin Slater in left field and bumping Colton Cowser to center. With Burnes on the hill, backup catcher James McCann was in the starting lineup with Adley Rutschman serving as the DH in the series opener.

Below is the roster for the Wild Card Series:

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS (7):
Corbin Burnes
Yennier Cano
Seranthony Domínguez
Zach Eflin
Dean Kremer
Colin Selby
Jacob Webb

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LEFT-HANDED PITCHERS (5):
Keegan Akin
Danny Coulombe
Cionel Pérez
Cade Povich
Gregory Soto

CATCHERS (2):
James McCann
Adley Rutschman

INFIELDERS (7):
Gunnar Henderson
Jackson Holliday
Ryan Mountcastle
Ryan O’Hearn
Emmanuel Rivera
Ramón Urías
Jordan Westburg

OUTFIELDERS (5):
Colton Cowser
Heston Kjerstad
Cedric Mullins
Anthony Santander
Austin Slater