The 25-man roster
Hendry and Pinella didn’t have many tough calls to make when it came to whittling down the Cubs roster to 25 for this first round of the playoffs. They decided to keep Marquis and Hart as the final pitchers, meaning that Marshall, Ohman and Trachsel were left behind. Hart, despite throwing only 11 innings, has really impressed everyone and I think it helps that there isn’t a lot of film for the Diamondbacks to watch of him. Marquis won’t be used as a starter, but will do long relief, if needed.
Murton, Pie and Fontenot made the cut, as expected, while Cedeno and Ward also made the roster. Monroe missed the cut when it was determined that Ward was healthy enough to pinch hit. Needless to say, Soto and Kendall will be the catchers, with Blanco not making the roster.
Remember that the 25 man roster can be adjusted at the end of every round of the playoffs, although I don’t see the Cubs doing much tweaking. Marshall will continue to stay fresh in case he’s needed for a later 7 game series, but I’m not sure who you’d cut off the roster to put him on.