With the Boston Red Sox active roster bloated to 35 this month, decisions must be made on the 10 who make the playoff roster.

Nearly all the spots are predictable.

But what does Boston want for the last spot or two on the postseason:

A third catcher?

A long reliever?

A fifth (speedy) outfielder?

And after the roster is set, what lineup will Manager Terry Francona use? (We will get to that question later on).

First, the roster.

At this moment, the Red Sox are not sure which division series schedule they will be on. The Yankees, by virtue of the best record, get to pick between A (start on Wednesday and have Thursday off) or B (start on Thursday). The A schedule necessitates only three starting pitchers, the B requires a team to carry four starters.

Let's assume B.

The obvious players are:

• Starters: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

• Relievers: Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard, Billy Wagner, Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez.

• Catchers: Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek.

• Infielders: Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Alex Gonzalez, Mike Lowell and Casey Kotchman.

• Outfielders: Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and Rocco Baldelli.

• Designated hitter: David Ortiz.

That's 21.

Among the holes are at least one utility infielder and one reliever.

The infielder spot was Nick Green's until he went down with back and leg problems.

If Green gets healthy, he's the pick. Otherwise, the Red Sox need to decide on Jed Lowrie or Chris Woodward. Lowrie started in the playoffs last year and he can be clutch. It depends on if Boston believes his left wrist will hold up.

Woodward, 33, would be the final pick. He is a veteran with a solid glove, but little offense.

So, add Green, Lowrie or Woodward. That's 22.

Takashi Saito and Manny Delcarmen may not be automatic picks for the bullpen.

Saito is used usually when games are out of hand, and Delcarmen has been rocked recently.

There is also the possibility Boston could go with a long reliever. Paul Byrd performed that role last year and could do it again. Tim Wakefield's health seems to eliminate him.

Michael Bowden is possibility. He's had one bad outing, against the Yankees last month, but has not been scored upon since. He might get a start next week, which could earn him a spot.

The guess here is that Boston sticks with Saito and Delcarmen; Saito because of his experience and Delcarmen because he has the stuff to put his struggles behind him.

That's 24.

The final spot comes down to a third catcher or a fifth outfielder. A third catcher used to be desired because Varitek or the backup (Doug Mirabelli or Kevin Cash) could be pinch hit for.

But the presence of Martinez changes that. He will get most of the starts over Varitek. And if Varitek plays and gets pinch hit for, Martinez can move behind the plate.

The Red Sox did not add Joey Gathright to their roster for outfield depth. They had that with Josh Reddick and Brian Anderson. Gathright can fly on the bases. And a pinch runner late in the game can make all the difference (see 2004, re: Dave Roberts).

A wild-card notion would be Reddick. He's fast, though not in Gathright's league. But Reddick would bring an explosive left-handed bat off the bench.

The nod goes to Gathright: the 25th player.

THE LINEUP is fairly simple to figure out, although there may be controversy at catcher.

The first four batters can be inked in: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Martinez and Youkilis.

Francona has rightfully alternated Bay and Ortiz in the fifth spot, depending on the pitcher.

With Ortiz hitting only .237, some will question why he would bat in front of Bay and his 36 home runs and 115 RBI. But Ortiz's numbers are skewed because of his...