Daniel Clark: Selecting the 25 to continue the journey

As the 2014 regular season nears its completion, the focus for the Orioles now shifts to the playoffs and with that, decisions need to be made on what the American League Division Series roster will look like. Despite the injuries and suspensions sustained throughout the season, the Orioles have managed to find adequate replacements throughout the journey, helping to ensure the winning ways have been maintained. However, there are still some uncertainties remaining ahead of the playoffs, in particular who will play third base in the absence of Manny Machado and what the four-man starting rotation will look like. All things considered, listed below is one potential ALDS roster Buck Showalter may go with: Rotation (4): Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Bud Norris Bullpen (8): Kevin Gausman, T.J. McFarland, Brian Matusz, Brad Brach, Tommy Hunter, Andrew Miller, Darren O'Day, Zach Britton Catchers and Infielders (7): Nick Hundley, Caleb Joseph, Steve Pearce, Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Flaherty, Jimmy Paredes Outfielders (6): Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz, Delmon Young, Alejandro De Aza, David Lough Of the list above, the hard-luck story is undoubtedly Kevin Gausman, who has performed remarkably well this season, owning a 7-7 record while working to a 3.57 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. In any other season dating back to 1997 or beyond, Gausman's performance would have seen him featured in an ALDS rotation. However, due to the strength of the five current starters, he is likely to be the one shifted to the bullpen. In addition, he is also the hardest-throwing of the five and is best suited for a bullpen role. Another who was strongly considered and is somewhat unlucky is Kelly Johnson, who is currently battling with Jimmy Paredes for a backup infielder role on the roster. While Johnson is a safer defensive option, he hasn't performed as well with the bat as the deserving Paredes since joining the Orioles late last month. In 15 games, Johnson has hit .250 (7-for-28) with one home run and four RBIs, as opposed to Paredes, who is hitting a very impressive .341 (15-for-44) with two home runs and eight RBIs. In addition, Paredes offers speed on the basepaths and given Quintin Berry's absence, he could add value in a pinch-runner role as well. David Lough's inclusion was ultimately the reason Berry was left out. Despite having a slow start to the season, Lough has been extremely impressive since the All-Star Break, hitting .340 (17-for-50) with two home runs and five RBIs since the Midsummer Classic. In addition, Lough is arguably the best defensive outfielder on the team and like Paredes, offers speed on the basepaths. Ultimately, Lough is a far more versatile player and someone Showalter can call upon in varying situations throughout the playoffs. The only other hard-luck story, in some respect, is that of Ubaldo Jimenez. While his struggles this season have been well-documented, he is the only player to miss out who has been with the team for the whole season. If he was to be squeezed onto this roster, it probably would have been in a long-relief role and possibly at the expense of T.J. McFarland. But Jimenez's 4.85 ERA and 1.53 WHIP are just far too risky to take into the playoffs - despite the improvement shown in his last two starts. In addition, McFarland's season has been very impressive, working to a 2.83 ERA out of the bullpen, often in long relief. What this low ERA does hide for McFarland, though, is that he has allowed 11 inherited runners to score, which is something he will need to address if called upon in closely fought games. What are your thoughts on the roster listed above? Would you make any changes? Daniel Clark blogs about the Orioles at The Big Leagues Daily from Melbourne, Australia. Follow him on Twitter: @DC_TBLDaily. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.