It’s at least a start.

Back–to-back victories over quality teams. Wins that could be the start of something. Two well-played and well-pitched games in which the Yankees hit a combined four home runs.

The Yankees followed up Wednesday’s comfortable win over the Rays by starting this four-game series with the hated Astros on the right note Thursday.

They jumped out to an early lead, saw it evaporate and struck right back, prevailing 4-3 in front of 44,019 in The Bronx.

With all kinds of distractions of late, from the Yankees’ inactive trade deadline to Domingo German being placed on the restricted list on Wednesday to receive treatment for alcohol abuse and the news that Anthony Rizzo has been dealing with post-concussion syndrome, the team has managed to stay focused.

“We know that every game that we go out there is kind of a must-win,” said Clarke Schmidt, who delivered his 13th straight start of allowing three earned runs or fewer with five strong innings of two-run ball. “We like playing with that type of energy and chip on our shoulder, and we’re going to try to bring that energy every night. We know that we’re in control of our own fate, and that nobody else is coming to help us. It’s the people in this clubhouse. We’re going to continue to fight and continue to compete and we’ll see where we end up.”

Anthony Volpe’s sixth-inning, run-scoring single was the difference. Michael King got a monster double play in the seventh to keep the lead and Clay Holmes retired Bronx villain Jose Altuve with two men on to lock down the win and his 15th save.

The Yankees (57-52) moved within two games of the Blue Jays in the loss column for the final AL wild-card spot.

The win marked the first time since July 3-4 against the Orioles that the Yankees had won back-to-back games against an opponent with a winning record.

That, however, didn’t lead to an extended winning stretch. The Yankees dropped nine of their next 11 games. Maybe this will be different.

Struggling Astros right-hander Cristian Javier, part of a combined no-hitter in The Bronx last June, was tagged for two home runs and three runs in a rocky opening frame.

Giancarlo Stanton and Billy McKinney each took him deep, marking the fifth time this year the Yankees have gone back-to-back.

“Just heavier, tougher, grindier [at-bats]. All those things that at times over the years have been really strong suits for us. We want to make you feel the at-bats,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Whether you have success against us as a pitching staff or we get to you, that heavy feeling of, ‘Man, I had to work tonight to get through that.’ Getting a little better there.”

The Astros responded with two runs in the top of the second. Jake Meyers drove in a run with a groundout and Marvin Maldonado singled in another.

But that was also all Houston would muster against Schmidt, who faced just one over the minimum over his final three innings of work. He finished well, stranding Altuve at third by retiring Jeremy Pena on a groundout to end the fifth.

Southpaw Wandy Peralta, who had allowed just five hits in 55 at-bats against left-handed batters, served up a game-tying homer to Kyle Tucker in the sixth. After Volpe drove in Harrison Bader in the home sixth to give the Yankees back the lead, the Astros threatened in the seventh against King.

His mistake of trying to turn a double play on an Altuve roller to the second-base side of the mound — nobody was covering the bag — gave Houston runners on first and second with one out. But Pena bounced into a 5-5-3 double play, ending the threat, and Holmes induced a weak groundout out of Altuve in the ninth. For the second straight day, the Yankees showed life despite myriad distractions around them.

“We’re in a spot to still be a [factor], still do damage,” said Stanton, who went deep for the second straight day. “We got plenty of time.”