BOSTON (AP) – Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein praised Grady Little on Thursday but wouldn’t discuss whether the manager would be asked back for next season.

Epstein spoke before the Red Sox played the Baltimore Orioles with a chance to clinch the AL wild-card berth and Boston’s first trip to the playoffs since 1999.

“Grady’s done a fantastic job,” Epstein said. “We had a lot of unanswered questions coming out of spring training. We had a lot of things that worked on paper that we needed to see in the clubhouse and on the field, and he did a fantastic job juggling those parts.”

Little, in his second year as Boston’s manager, is signed through this season. Asked whether Little’s status for next year would be resolved next week, Epstein said, “I don’t know.” But it sounded as if Little would return.

“He’s also lived up to his reputation as being a tremendous manager for the long haul, keeping everyone happy and motivated and playing hard, and who knows where we’d be without that,” Epstein said.

Little is known for his laid-back style and ability to relate to players.

“Over the course of 162 games, it takes a manager with the right touch,” Epstein said. “Baseball is littered with the carcasses of managers who are too intense or too hands-on or who micromanage too much, and Grady has a real good touch to manage over the course of 162 games.”

Epstein also said he and Little have talked about a postseason roster and whether it would include 10 or 11 pitchers.

Boston would open the best-of-5 first round at Oakland next Wednesday and has until that day to submit its 25-man roster. Teams can change it after each playoff round if they advance.

Epstein wouldn’t say whether Tim Wakefield, the No. 3 starter behind Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe, would start the second game against Oakland.

“It’s not appropriate to talk about that at this time,” he said. “We’ll table that until we get in.”

AP-ES-09-25-03 2004EDT