HOUSTON – Just before the Yankees batted to open the ninth inning in Game 2, some spaced-out kook ran onto the field looking to give Astros superstar second baseman Jose Altuve a hug. When the unnamed nutbar arrived at Altuve, he would not let go in an apparent effort to console the diminutive Astros superstar, either because Altuve’s about to suffer on Saturday the abuse of Yankees fans, or because the he is somehow still zero for the playoffs, the one Astros who’s failed to launch.

The reality is that the ones who truly need a hug now are the Yankees, who returned home in an 0-2 hole in the ALCS after attempting, and failing, to even the score in Game 2 here. We aren’t big huggers in New York, but if the Yankees like, they can consider this column 850 words of encouragement.

Baseball’s all about metrics now, and the most obvious one, where even those of us who need a calculator to add things up, favors the Astros. The Yankees need to win four of five games to reach their goal of making it back to the World Series for the first time in 13 years. Which seems like a long shot – a lot longer than that Alex Bregman Game 2-deciding, 360-foot home run that shocked all the Yankees by flying into the back of the Crawford Boxes at a rather mundane 91-mph exit velocity.

Speaking of exit velocity, while it feels like the Yankees may be leaving this derby soon, there’s real reason to hope. Here are three positive thoughts at a time the Yankees may need them.

Yankees Game 2 starter Luis Severino twice mentioned the Astros “got lucky” after the 3-2 defeat. The initial reaction is that Houston must be the luckiest team in the world. They’ve reached six straight American League Championship Series, eliminated the Yankees three of the past seven seasons and remain unbeaten at Minute Maid Park this year against them.

However, I do get it. In this one game, Severino threw the ball harder and generally looked better than Astros starter Framber Valdez, the Yankees’ big hitters hit the ball harder and they played a cleaner game. Valdez actually resembled me turning Giancarlo Stanton’s comebacker into a double error, leading to the Yankees’ only two runs, both unearned.

Severino’s comment may be easily dismissed as sour grapes. But that doesn’t mean there’s no truth to it. Aaron Judge’s home run bid in the eighth inning was hit 106 mph, 15 mph harder than Bregman’s three-run blast. It’s true the wind was blowing strongly out to left field and doing the opposite in right. Of course, word is the Yankees were the ones who cheered opening up of the roof for Game 2, likely to cut down on the noise from fans who loathe the Yankees but seem surprisingly sedate so far.

While Bregman’s ball probably would have been a homer either way, without that wind knocking it down Judge’s drive surely would have given the Yankees a late lead.

Not only that but they have ace Gerrit Cole, the former Astro who’s silenced critics and proven to be a money pitcher, in Game 2. Then follow that with Nestor Cortes, whose deception and guts make up for average velocity, in Game 4.

“It’s always good to know they are going to be on the bump,” Giancarlo Stanton said. “We’ve got to go home and make sure we get the first one.”

Cole has been the best pitcher in these playoffs (along with Joe Musgrove, sorry Mets fans) so they have a decent chance to avoid falling into that dreaded 3-0 hole only the 2004 Red Sox climbed out of (sorry older Yankees fans).

While it has been awhile now, let’s not forget a time no one played better baseball than these Yankees. The first three months are like a dream, and if they can somehow get back to that level, they can work their way back into this thing.

Some Yankees talked after Game 2 about the need to put the ball into play more. I get it. Fresh in their mind was Stanton’s dribbler that led to two runs when Valdez amateurishly dropped the ball, fell to the ground then topped it off by throwing wildly to first. Even Stanton, who has 11 home runs in 25 career postseason games, suggested they need to make more contact.

“You never know what can happen if you put the ball in play,” Stanton said.

But I’d say they should forget about that.

The Astros do not generally beat themselves, Valdez is practically their only weak fielder (especially when Yordan Alvarez DHs) and they won’t see him again until Game 6, anyway. The Yankees, who hit an MLB best 254 home runs, need to be themselves — or at least recall how they played the first three months of this season.