HOUSTON — Mired in a deep funk at the plate, Brett Gardner did not play against lefty Dallas Keuchel in the team’s 4-0 win Wednesday night. The leadoff hitter and left fielder, hasn’t started three of the past four games in which the Yankees faced a lefty. They aren’t the only pitchers, however, against which Gardner has struggled.

It got to the point he thought bunting with a full count against Justin Verlander on Tuesday night gave him a better chance at a hit than swinging away. He fouled the bunt off and struck out. Gardner said he thought about bunting in the next at-bat, when he struck out swinging on a 3-2 pitch.

With Giancarlo Stanton in left and Aaron Hicks in center, Gardner took a seat on the bench with four hits in his previous 39 at-bats.

“I think this last week he hasn’t been getting on as much but up until the weekend in Anaheim he was getting on base,’’ said manager Aaron Boone, who explained he didn’t have a problem with Gardner bunting for a hit with two strikes. “He hasn’t started to hit with power. He is hitting balls on the ground that he normally drives. I don’t think he is that far off.’’

Earlier in the week, Gardner said he wasn’t being aggressive enough at the plate. Since April 20, pitchers have held him to a .105 (4-for-38) average, a .234 on-base percentage and a .339 OPS. A career .264 hitter who hit 21 homers last season, Gardner is hitting .204 (21-for-103) with one homer and a .328 on-base percentage.