HOUSTON — Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, ahead of schedule, helped make the future now for the Yankees. The problem is that the future is now. Lights, cameras, October.

“You have two guys who are really still rookies,” Reggie Jackson said. “They don’t even have 1,000 at-bats in the majors. My first year in the playoffs I already had played five seasons, I was more seasoned.”

Mr. October said he believes the duo “is learning” how to play this month. But these are tough lessons.

The Yankees offense generally followed Sanchez and, especially, Judge this year. When they raked, the Yankees flourished. The offense is following them now, too. The bad at-bats and the strikeouts are mounting and the opportunities to do something about it might be dwindling.

The Yankees went into Minute Maid and held one of the best offenses of the past quarter century to four runs in two games — a number they delightfully would have signed up for before the opener.

But the second-highest scoring offense in the majors managed just two runs, losing a pair of 2-1 heartbreakers, including Saturday in Game 2 when Jose Altuve scored from first on a Carlos Correa double with one out in the ninth.

Judge and Sanchez were far from the only offensive culprits as Justin Verlander masterfully overwhelmed the lineup, getting ahead of 20 of the 32 batters he faced either 0-2 or 1-2 in what has become a rare postseason complete game.

But their combined 0-for-8 with four strikeouts was debilitating. Every other member of the lineup except Chase Headley reached base safely in this game. Headley went 0-for-3, dropping Yankee DHs to 0-for-27 in these playoffs.

Headley had two good at-bats, though. That was not the case for Judge and Sanchez, who are now a combined 10-for-65 (.154) in these playoffs with 34 strikeouts. The Yankees are batting just .200 as a team in the postseason and crying out for their biggest power bats to have greater impact.

Joe Girardi said he is not going to change the lineup “because If you just start moving people around trying to play a hot hand, it doesn’t necessarily work” and he noted that a lot of hitters struggle at this time of year due to the quality of pitching.

Dallas Keuchel was great for the Astros in the opener and Verlander was better. The competition now comes down with Charlie Morton starting for Houston in Game 3 and likely Brad Peacock in Game 4. Plus, the ALCS switches to The Bronx, where the Yankees offense and team generally play better. Still, to advance to the World Series, the Yankees now have to win four of five games with Keuchel and Verlander lined up to start at least twice, if necessary.

That falls into the land of the improbable without some life from Judge and Sanchez, who accentuate a key difference between the teams playing for the AL pennant. The Astros have steadily reduced their strikeouts the past few years without impacting their offensive capability. They were first in runs and second in homers despite having the lowest strikeout percentage in the majors.

Facing the Yankees’ power staff, Houston has just nine strikeouts in two games and the Yanks have 27. On two occasions when the Yankees put the ball in play, terrific relays by Houston proved critical in such close games. In the opener, Greg Bird was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second, though he was running on a Judge single with two outs and a full count.

Brett Gardner was thrown out attempting to push a double to a triple off a foolish wave from third base coach Joe Espada with two outs in the third. Who knows what happens if the Yankees make Verlander throw more pitches that inning. Would he have been around to deliver a complete game?

Meanwhile, the Yankees failed to execute their end-of-Game-2 relay and the Astros had jubilation and a two-games-to-none lead. But that they won with two runs in each game underscores the Yankees’ offensive problems, in general, and the lack of impact from Judge and Sanchez, in specific.

Both insist they are not pressing, both believe matters could turn quickly. Judge, though, continues to be baffled in particular by breaking balls away. But in many ways the bigger surprise is Sanchez, who privately the Yankees will tell you is a far better pure hitter than Judge.

Sanchez, however, has been particularly susceptible to breaking balls in the dirt and now seems to be thinking too much and getting caught between pitching speeds. He has had six straight games with multiple strikeouts.

“I’m definitely missing pitches I should hit,” Sanchez said.

Time is running out to hit them — for Sanchez and Judge — because that time is running out on the Yankees.