Troy Percival told Tribune blog buddy and Rays beat writer extraordinare Marc Lancaster that he doesn’t believe he’ll be included on the post-season roster.

If that works out to be the case, it’s regrettable but it’s probably the right choice. The Rays wouldn’t be here without Percival, but they also wouldn’t be here without Edwin Jackson, who tied for the team lead with 14 wins. Jason Hammel was huge in perhaps the most important win of the season, a 14-inning victory over Boston at Fenway Park, when he had to come in for an injured Percival. Jackson and Hammel won’t be on the roster, either.

Again, if Percival is correct about being left off, I’m a little surprised. He pitched well Sunday at Detroit and said his aching back was fine. I figured he had a spot locked then. Fortunately, the bullpen is perhaps the Rays’ biggest strength and they’ve already shown they can mix and match well at the end of games. It also doesn’t mean Percival or Jackson won’t eventually be part of things. They can be added later if the Rays advance past Chicago. Right now though, the Rays have 14 pitchers for 10, maybe 11 spots.

Here’s my guess on the pitchers, for what it’s worth:

James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, Chad Bradford, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, David Price, J.P. Howell, and Trever Miller