ST. LOUIS -- MLB playoff teams have until 9 a.m. CT on Friday to submit their final rosters for the Wild Card Series, but Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol shed some light on some his team’s toughest decisions ahead of facing the Phillies in a best-of-three set at Busch Stadium.

First pitch is at 1:07 p.m. in a series that is a rematch for the Cardinals and Phillies of 2011, when they played a five-game epic of a National League Division Series that was won by St. Louis.

Here are some questions and answers about some of the makeup of the Cardinals' roster heading into NL Wild Card Series Game 1:

Which player was the most surprising selection to be included on the Cardinals 26-man roster?
Nolan Gorman, one of the Cardinals' top power prospects, had an otherwise solid rookie season when he hit 14 home runs, smacked 13 doubles and drove in 35 runs in over 89 games. Also, Gorman -- a converted third baseman -- played better than expected at second base with his steady glove, strong throwing arm and better-than-average range.

However, the 22-year-old slumped badly down the stretch and was sent to Triple-A Memphis on Sept. 19. He went just 4-for-29 (.138) with 15 strikeouts over his last 10 games in September. Gorman and his left-handed bat were put on the Cardinals' taxi squad earlier this week in the season-ending series in Pittsburgh.

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Ultimately, the Cardinals chose Gorman over outfielder Alec Burleson because of his versatility on the infield and the enormous pop in his bat. Gorman hit the second of four straight home runs by Cardinals hitters in Philadelphia in early July and he drew six walks against Phillies pitching this season.

“There are plusses and minuses to however you want to chop that decision up with him and Burleson,” Marmol said. “At the end of the day, I thought Burleson actually took really good at-bats and in his last several games, he showed an ability to drive the ball to all fields. Although there wasn’t a high level of production, he showed good contact. But Gorman provides more versatility in how you can defensively replace someone and still hit for them. There’s more versatility with Gorman being on the roster.”

Who among the Cardinals' five starters gets the nod for Game 1?
For years, this spot always went to 6-foot-7 right-hander Adam Wainwright, and there wasn’t much debate about it at all. This season, however, Wainwright battled “dead arm” down the stretch and he was hit hard for much of his final six starts.

St. Louis’ season dramatically changed for the better when team president John Mozeliak and GM Michael Girsh brokered deals for left-handed pitchers José Quintana and Jordan Montgomery. In their first 14 starts, the Cardinals went 13-1 to begin their charge toward the NL Central division title. When Montgomery’s strong start cooled, Quintana picked up steam and was the Cardinals' most reliable and most consistent starter down the stretch. That work, plus his history of success against Phillies left-handed sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, earned the 33-year-old Quintana the start in Game 1.

Quintana, who started the season with the rebuilding Pirates, was energized down the stretch by being in a pennant race for the first time in years and said he can’t wait to pitch in front of another massive crowd at Busch Stadium.

“I mean, it’s a great opportunity for me,” said Quintana, who did not allow more than two earned runs in any of his 12 starts with the Cardinals. “At the beginning of the year, I worked hard to get an opportunity to pitch again as a starter. As soon as I got this trade to pitch for the Cardinals, I felt that energy and how they see the games, and I was so excited. This opportunity means a lot to me, because we play baseball to be in October. [Friday] is the start toward our goal, and it’s important for me to take [advantage of] this opportunity.”

Another key statistic in picking Quintana for Game 1 against the big bats of the Phillies: The lefty surrendered just one home run in 62 2/3 innings pitched with the Cardinals.

Miles Mikolas, a strong contender for the Game 1 start, will instead get Game 2. Wainwright, Jack Flaherty and Montgomery will be available out of the bullpen on Friday for long or short relief.

What other left-handers do the Cardinals have at their disposal to throw at Harper and Schwarber?
Steven Matz, a starter before tearing the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in late July, will be used in the high-leverage spots to get left-handers out. Rookie Zack Thompson, someone who was “trying to figure out how to stop throwing 87 miles an hour” this time last year following a tough Triple-A season, earned a spot on the roster with the massive growth he’s made in a short period of time.

The final decision facing the Cardinals was whether or not to stockpile the bullpen with a third left-hander or fortify the roster in other ways. Ultimately, the Cardinals decided to use their final spot to boost their number of pitchers to 14, while keeping just 12 position players.

Génesis Cabrera, one of the Cardinals' most dominant pitchers early in the season, was given every chance to make the roster as the third left-hander. However, his erratic command and wavering velocity cost him that opportunity. Packy Naughton, an uber-competitive lefty who doesn’t scare easily, won the final reliever spot over Cabrera.

Don’t be surprised if Flaherty -- a longtime starter who recently regained command of his dynamic fastball/slider mix -- isn’t used almost exclusively out of the bullpen to “piggyback” with Quintana and Mikolas to keep from overexposing those pitchers following the second or third time through the lineup.