Orioles release ALCS roster

The Baltimore Orioles have released their roster for the ALCS, and it’s going to look mighty familiar to what we’ve seen thus far. Buck Showalter made one noticeable swap on the roster, though, carrying an additional bullpen lefty in Brian Matusz while leaving Ubaldo Jimenez off the roster entirely -- that eliminates any chance of the struggling pitcher taking an ALCS start. There was also the decision about whether or not to carry the currently suspended Chris Davis, one which Showalter clarified a few days back when he announced Davis would not join the team.

In some ways, the Orioles sweep of the Tigers made their decision even harder. Davis has to miss eight games of the playoffs, and by playing only three in the ALDS, Davis is forced to miss five games of the ALCS, assuming there is no sweep. That being the case, the Orioles could have played a man down in the first five games in order to make Davis eligible for the next two. That wasn’t entirely feasible, though what could happen going forward is a mysterious injury from someone on the roster that results in Davis getting added once his suspension is up.

As it stands, it looks like Chris Tillman will start Game 1, as he did against Detroit, and the rest of the rotation will be Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, and Miguel Gonzalez, though it’s not clear if they’ll pitch in that order. Gonzalez threw a three inning simulated game (along with Matusz, T.J. McFarland and Jimenez) recently, as he has not pitched since Sept. 28. That could compel Showalter to get him into the series early, and let Chen/Norris throw in Kansas City. Kevin Gausman is stretched out enough to start games, but is likely to be a multi-inning weapon out of the pen, as he was in Game 2 of the ALDS.

The Orioles bullpen might not have the notoriety of Kansas City’s but it is both deep and talented. Gausman’s talents have been discussed, but Brad Brach joins him as a multi-inning relief option and Tommy Hunter can pump serious heat out of the bullpen and is very tough on right-handed batters. Andrew Miller is death on lefties, and is effective against righties as well, and Darren O’Day has been a lockdown reliever for the better part of

Matusz was 2-3 in 63 appearances, throwing 51⅔ innings, compiling a 3.48 ERA and 53 strikeouts in that time. While he is likely to be deployed as left-on-left reliever in the playoffs, he faced more right-handed batters (114) than left-handed batters (112) over the course of the season. three seasons now. They all lead up to Zach Britton who has gone from failed starter to successful reliever (a common thread in Baltimore). Britton is the unconventional left-handed reliever, which could have factored into the Orioles decision not to carry another LOOGY, and he was phenomenal in 2014, recording a 1.65 ERA and striking out 62 batters in 76⅓ innings. We’ll see how the recent birth of his baby affects him, though the same can be said for Royals closer Greg Holland.

The lineups for the Orioles should remain similar, with Jimmy Paredes and Ryan Flaherty being the only changes, depending on if a lefty or righty is on the mound. Otherwise, they’ll be looking to go deep with regularity, this isn’t a team the excels at OBP. Nelson Cruz was the big bat in the ALDS, with Delmon Young providing timely hitting off the bench, and both are on the roster as designated hitters. The O’s are rolling with four outfielders once again, as Alejandro De Aza, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis will start from left to right, with David Lough a defensive-minded replacement. On the infield they have the aforementioned Paredes/Flaherty tandem at third, J.J. Hardy at short, Jonathan Schoop at second and Steve Pearce at first. Kelly Johnson is a left-handed bat off the bench and a backup around the infield (and outfield). Behind the plate Caleb Joseph and his big arm should see most of the starts, but Nick Hundley serves as a quality backup.

Starting Pitchers (4): Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez

Relief Pitchers (7): Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Andrew Miller, Brad Brach, Kevin Gausman, Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz

Catchers (2): Caleb Joseph, Nick Hundley

Infielders (6): Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy, Kelly Johnson, Jimmy Paredes, Steve Pearce, Jonathan Schoop

Outfielders (4): Alejandro De Aza, Adam Jones, David Lough, Nick Markakis

Designated Hitters (2): Nelson Cruz, Delmon Young