The Dodgers are “probably 99, 98 percent where we want to be” in deciding their roster for the National League Division Series, manager Don Mattingly said Thursday afternoon. The St. Louis Cardinals announced their roster earlier Thursday. Rosters are due to MLB tomorrow morning, and the Dodgers must winnow their manpower from 37 to 25.

Some decisions were made Tuesday, when five players were given permission to return either to their off-season home or the Dodgers’ spring training facility in Arizona.

A few more decisions have been made in the last 48 hours:

• Right-handed pitchers Chris Perez and Kevin Correia won’t be on the roster.
• Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Game 3 and Dan Haren will start Game 4, reducing the need to keep both Roberto Hernandez and Carlos Frias as long relievers.
• Mattingly acknowledged that some players who won’t be on the 25-man roster will remain with the team during the series, even on the road. Why?

“A third catcher” and “certain guys who we want to be around for the experience of being around” certainly hints at Joc Pederson and Tim Federowicz remaining with the Dodgers despite missing the final roster cut.

Assuming Pederson, Federowicz and Hernandez are off the roster, that leaves two 11th-hour scenarios by our estimate:

1. Darwin Barney makes the 25-man roster as an extra infielder. The Dodgers keep two relievers from the group of Jamey Wright, Paco Rodriguez, Scott Elbert and Carlos Frias.
2. Barney doesn’t make the 25-man roster as an extra infielder. The Dodgers keep three relievers from the group of Wright, Rodriguez, Elbert and Frias.

Among that group, Frias (a rookie) is the only player who would fall under the category of “certain guys who we want to be around for the experience of being around.” It figures that the others would either be sent home or to Camelback Ranch.

We’ll pass along the final roster once it’s in.