Orioles manager Buck Showalter compared Monday’s season opener to the opening night of a Broadway play, with his team taking its place under the spotlight after weeks of dress rehearsals in Sarasota, Fla. After each Orioles player — one by one — runs down the orange carpet for Opening Day introductions, it finally becomes time for the opening act.

There’s no question that every slice of the 162-game regular season matters. One game in April can make the difference in earning a playoff spot in October. Last year, it was the difference between the Orioles hosting the American League wild-card game and traveling to Toronto, and no Orioles fan needs a reminder of how that night played out north of the border.

“It’s a constant test,” Showalter said. “You go through all these different things. … There’s a lot of different acts to a season, and tomorrow starts Act 1. But we don’t get up the next morning and read the reviews to see if we’re going to stay open.”

Considering that 24 of the Orioles’ first 27 games are against American League East opponents, there’s an added importance to the Orioles’ opening act.

“You lose one game in April and you might lose the division by one game in September, so every game is important,” shortstop J.J. Hardy said. “I think playing in the division a lot in the beginning is the most important thing because those games always mean more and teams sometimes get off to bad starts or get off to good starts. Every game matters in the end, so they’re definitely very important games.”

While this club has seen marked success over the past five years — a stretch that includes three postseason berths and the most wins in the American League — its biggest strength might be its ability to manipulate its roster.

The Orioles officially set their Opening Day roster Sunday at noon before holding a workout at Camden Yards. There were no roster surprises, with outfielder Craig Gentry’s contract being added to replace Rule 5 pick Aneury Tavarez, who was returned to the Red Sox after an attempt to work out a trade with Boston failed.

Two starting pitchers — right-hander Chris Tillman and lefty Wade Miley — were placed on the disabled list; three days off in the first eight days of the season allowed the Orioles to carry just three starting pitchers. The opening roster includes eight relievers and a deep bench of 14 position players, including Gentry and rookie Trey Mancini.

The Orioles are always innovative in maneuvering the 25 spots on an active roster, and this season is no different. The new 10-day disabled list — which was negotiated into the collective bargaining agreement this offseason — is another rule the club can use to its advantage.

“The club can make more aggressive decisions to decide to put the player on the roster, because now the player doesn’t have to be out for two weeks,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said. “And by putting them on the DL, you don’t have to wait in that limbo period, to wait a couple of days. We always try to wait a couple of days for the veteran position players to see if they can come back before we put them on the DL. Now, with the 10 days, for pitchers especially, you can have some soreness and can skip a start and come back for your next start with the 10-day DL.”

Add in that the Orioles will carry two long relievers with options — and have an upgraded surplus of arms in Triple-A Norfolk — and they can prevent the bullpen from being overworked by consistently importing fresh arms from the minors.

The Orioles will eventually lose the luxury of carrying so many position players because they will likely have to add a fourth starter April 9 and a fifth starter on April 15. But Showalter said he has those moves plotted out through the end of the month, adding that rainouts could shift that schedule either to the benefit or detriment to those plans. Last year, the Orioles had four rainouts in their first five weeks.

“It takes some imagination,” Showalter said “There’s a way to maneuver around and keep 11 [pitchers] and still have seven in the pen. … It’s going to take some foresight and imagination to go. … It was really tough to do it last year. This year, it’s got a chance to be easier, but you’ve got to stay on top of it. People say, ‘Well what are you doing there all that time?’ That’s what you’re doing. You’re grinding. You have to have cooperation with your staff in Norfolk and Bowie, but we’ll see what develops. I’d love to have the same 25 all year, but I know we eventually need a fourth and fifth starter.”

Through May 4, all but three games — an interleague series in Cincinnati from April 15 to 17 — are against division opponents. But the Orioles have the benefit of five days off in their first 25 days, which can help the team get the most out of its improved depth.

“I think anytime you start a new year, you want to get off to a good start just to get the ball rolling early,” first baseman Chris Davis said. “It kind of gives you a little bit of breathing room, so to speak, and it kind of sets the tone for the whole season. Obviously, the situation we’re in right now with guys being on the DL and having a bunch of off days at the beginning, it plays well for us, but I think it’s always important to get off to a good start.”

Last season, the Orioles won their first seven games, which provided a strong foundation to the season and allowed them to survive some second-half dips. They were just 15-30 in July and August, but remained competitive.

This year, the club’s early stretch against AL East opponents includes nine games against the defending division champion Red Sox, and six apiece against the Blue Jays and Yankees, so a similar start will have greater impact on the division race early on.

“If you look at our schedule in April, it really rings true playing in our division most of the time, which is very important,” Showalter said. “I’m not going to say that if things don’t go well early that the season is over. I mean, heck, it’s a long grind.”

eencina@baltsun.com

twitter.com/EddieInTheYard