Miley off, Peacock on ALCS roster

The Astros’ American League Championship Series roster contains no lefthanded pitching and a promising rookie reliever, one of four first-year players to crack Houston’s pennant-chasing configuration.

The roster contained three changes from the American League Division Series setup against the Rays. A seven-game series required the Astros to expand their bullpen by one arm, which came at the expense of a bench player.

Struggling southpaw starter Wade Miley was left off the ALCS roster in favor of Brad Peacock, and pinch-running specialist Myles Straw was omitted for rookie righthander Bryan

Abreu. Neither exclusion was unforeseen and the most difficult decision apparently boiled down to either Straw or outfielder Jake Marisnick.

Excluding Miley meant for the first time in general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch’s regime, the Astros carried an all righthanded pitching staff in a playoff series. The Yankees carried just two true lefthanded hitters — Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius — on their ALCS roster along with switchhitter Aaron Hicks.

Miley was the organization’s lone semblance of reliable lefthanded pitching at the major league level. His staggering September decline — a 16.88 ERA in 11⅔ innings — left him at risk to miss the ALDS roster. The Astros carried him and deployed him once, as a long man after Zack Greinke’s short start in Game 3.

“This was a tough draw for him,” Hinch said. “We had to decide between a weapon like Abreu or the power of some of the other bullpen arms like we have (and) carrying (Miley) as insurance and more of a longman role. We decided the weapons were very valuable against the Yankees.”

Miley’s omission this round may signal a start for Jose Urquidy in Game 4. Hinch said on Saturday that Urquidy will be in the bullpen for the first three games. The manager hinted that if he’s not used “aggressively” in any of the games, Urquidy — a rookie with nine major league appearances — would throw in Game 4.

If Abreu appears in an ALCS game, it will be the eighth appearance of his major league career.

The 22-year-old Dominican has thrown just 8⅔ big league innings, but inserted himself into postseason talk with remarkable poise and disgusting, spin-heavy secondary pitches. Abreu struck out 13 and walked only three in September. That he has hardly been used and the Yankees have little knowledge about him boded well, Hinch said.

“We understand he’s young and untested but he’s also unfamiliar,” Hinch said. “The types of swings that we saw in September versus pretty much all hitters. No one has looked comfortable against him. If we can get him an outing quickly in this series and get him back competing again, he will be a valuable weapon.”

Saddled with shoulder problems and nerve irritations in his neck throughout the second half, Peacock was nearing inclusion for the ALDS, but the organization felt he required one more outing. He threw a simulated game during an off day and reported no problems, clearing a path for his activation.

Peacock will be vital against the righthanded-heavy Yankees lineup. Righties have a career .609 OPS against him and often struggle with his slider.

Straw did not appear once in the ALDS. Hinch was effusive in praise of Kyle Tucker’s bold baserunning before the five-game series against the Rays, too, seemingly swaying things in his favor.

Though he went 0-for-5 in the ALDS, Tucker — a lefthanded hitter — offers more offensive upside than Straw in a potential pinch-hit situation. Josh Reddick’s continued slump allowed Tucker to start on Saturday against Masahiro Tanaka.

Reddick will come off the bench during the first two games of the series, according to Hinch. A Game 3 start in Yankee Stadium against Luis Severino is likely for Reddick, Hinch said.

Pair of aces meet as Cole catches Richard

Even at 69 years old, J.R. Richard still is particular about what pitch he wants to throw.

Richard threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday’s Game 1 of the Astros-Yankees American League Division Series, but not before jokingly shaking off a couple signs from his catcher Gerrit Cole.

The Astros paired Richard and Cole for the first pitch, because Cole broke Richard’s franchise single-season strikeout record this season. Richard struck out

313 in 1979, while Cole struck out 326.

After throwing a strike from the front of the mound, Richard and Cole met halfway for an embrace and a quick chat in which the two held their pitching hands up against each other, causing a wide-eyed Cole to point at the massiveness of Richard’s hand.

“It’s special to do that with such a great pitcher like Gerrit Cole,” Richard said. “It’s special to do that with this Astros organization.”

Richard, who wore an orange Astros jersey with his familiar No. 50 on the back and an old-school orange Astros hat, was part of the inaugural Astros Hall of Fame class earlier this season.

Chandler Rome, Matt Young