Toronto Blue Jays name wild-card roster for showdown with Baltimore

Oct 4, 2016 | 9:45 AM

TORONTO — The Blue Jays have left knuckleballer R.A. Dickey off their 25-man roster for Tuesday’s wild-card showdown with the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

With the team able to name a new roster should it progress to the American League division series with the Texas Rangers, the roster is focused on the one-game wild-card matchup. Pitchers J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez, unavailable after pitching on the weekend in the regular-season finale series in Boston, are also not on the list.

There are 10 pitchers on the roster with Tuesday starter Marcus Stroman and fellow starters Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano available if needed. The rest are relievers: Joe Biagini, Brett Cecil, Scott Feldman, Jason Grilli, Aaron Loup, Roberto Osuna and Ryan Tepera.

The 41-year-old Dickey (10-15 with a 4.46 earned-run average) appears to be the odd man out in a plentiful starting rotation that will be shortened in the post-season. Manager John Gibbons still has Sanchez, Happ, Stroman, Estrada and Liriano at his disposal.