HOUSTON — You have seen this before.

The Yankees and Astros played a close game. Houston finished with more runs.

This two-step is especially true at this time of year and at Minute Maid Park. It is redundant. Rinse and repeat. The Yankees’ Groundhog’s Day is swathed in orange towels flapping and Lone Star flags waving. Take your choice — the Astros are doing enough to win or the Yankees are doing enough to lose. But the outcome has an inevitability about it.

That is why the Yankees season has come down to this — Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes. On full rest. In The Bronx. The Yankees win Games 3 and 4 and perhaps they regain a puncher’s chance to not have another postseason crumble before the Astros. Though their rotation picture from there to the finish line — even if they do tie this ALCS up — is inferior to Houston’s.

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Moments before he took his position at second base to finish off the Yankees in Game 2, Jose Altuve received some affection.

In the middle of the ninth inning of the Astros’ 3-2 Game 2 win Thursday night, a fan briefly delayed proceedings while running onto the field.

The fan, wearing a white Craig Biggio Astros jersey, took to the field and approached Altuve. With the Minute Maid Park security seemingly taking its time to get out and apprehend the fan, he was able to share a hug with Altuve, wrapping his arms around the star while on both knees. A few moments later, as security finally arrived on the field, he attempted to take a selfie with Altuve.

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Gerrit Cole will take the mound on Saturday as the Yankees return to the Bronx and attempt to avoid an 0-3 hole.

Catcher Kyle Higashioka had a front row seat to Alex Bregman's three-run homer off Luis Severino in the second inning.

The longball ended up being all the Astros would need to win, even if it wasn't exactly an impressive one.

"I think even [Bregman] will admit it, he didn't really hit it well off the bat," Higashioka said. "But he hit it well enough to get it out."

They don't ask how, they ask how many. In this case, it was three runs and a victory for Houston.

Gerrit Cole is pretty familiar with Thursday night's winner of record, Framber Alvarez.

The two were teammates in Houston before Cole inked the then-largest free-agent contract in MLB history.

The Yankees ace is not surprised Alvarez took home the win, racking up nine strikeouts along the way.

"His mound presence has always been a bit whimsical," he said. "I still think it is"

HOUSTON — The Bronx Bombers didn’t live up to their name, and that includes the newly christened Bronxville Bomber, Harrison Bader himself. For the first time in 24 postseason games, the Yankees didn’t hit a home run, which is a likely recipe for defeat in Houston’s house of horrors.

They don’t love Minute Maid Park under normal conditions — and they missed their main weapon in Game 2 of the ALCS. Their mojo is in their muscles.

The Yankees without a home run are Christmas without Santa Claus.

Like the Patriots without Tom Brady.

Like nails without a hammer.

They are incomplete, at best. And very likely lost.

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No one wants to take a loss home with them, but Oswald Peraza, fresh off his first MLB playoff experience, at least appreciated the opporunity.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone understands theres a problem, and its on everyone to fix it.

Including him.

"We gotta score. Swing and insert," he told reporters. "The idea ain't just to touch it. You gotta touch it in situations. We gotta score. They're about as tough as there is to score against, but we got to figure out a way. It takes all of us from a game plan standpoint to every guy in that lineup doing their part to make it a little more difficult on them."

As if the Yankees' strikeout problem wasn't concerning enough, it looks even worse when coupled with this stat via ESPN:

Specifically, strikeouts.

After 17 whiffs in Game 1 -- including a record -15 strikeout differential -- the Yankees improved only slightly in their followup, totaling 13 Ks in Game 2.

On Thursday, Kyle Higashioka was the main culprit, fanning thrice in the 3-2 loss. Anthony Rizzo, Josh Donaldson and Oswald Peraza added a pair each.

Astros starter Framber Valcez picked up 9 strikeouts over his seven innings of work, with Bryan Abreau adding one in the eighth and closer Ryan Pressley fanning the side in the ninth.

A fan apparently ran onto the field in between innings and attempted to get a hug and a photo with Jose Altuve.

Despite a delayed response by Minute Maid Park security, the fan was reportedly taken off the field.

With the Yankees trailing by one in the bottom of the eight, Wandy Peralta made sure the Astros couldn't get too much momentum going.

The lefty reliever deftly picked off Yordan Alvarez at first base, with a little help from 2022 Gold Glove finalist Anthony Rizzo's expedient tag.

Initially called safe, Alvarez was called out upon a Yankees-initiated review..