Ronald Martinez | AP

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Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

HOUSTON — Yankees manager Joe Girardi spent a few minutes on Saturday morning raving about how good catcher Gary Sanchez' defense has been in the playoffs.

His blocking has been better.

His defense cost the Yankees Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, as the Houston Astros won 2-1 on a walk-off double by Carlos Correa in which Jose Altuve scored from first base only because Sanchez couldn’t handle a throw to the plate that should have resulted in an out.

With Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman pitching, Altuve started the winning rally with a one out single to left, Correa followed with a line double to right that won the game … thanks to Sanchez’ mistake.

This was the second 2-1 loss in two days for the Yankees, who are back in an 0-2 hole with this best-of-seven series headed to New York for Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5.

The Yankees advanced to the ALCS by beating the Cleveland Indians in a best-of-five after losing the first two games.

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Troy Taormina | USA TODAY Sports

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Jeffrey Maier lives!

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on an opposite-field homer by star shortstop Carlos Correa on a drive to right in which a young boy looking for a souvenir reached over the wall and had the ball deflect off his glove.

Sound familiar?

It’s been 21 years and Jeffrey Maier is still famous for aiding Derek Jeter’s game-tying homer in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS at the old Yankee Stadium.

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Because the Yankees won that game and went on to win the World Series, Maier will always be remembered as a 12-year-old kid

On Saturday, the Yankees used a replay challenge hoping for fan interference, but the video showed Correa’s drive had just barely cleared the wall when it deflected off the glove of the young Astros fan.

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Ronald Martinez | Getty Images

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Severino pulled for precaution

Yankees ace Luis Severino was pitching a good ballgame when his Game 4 start suddenly ended after four innings.

His departure, however, wasn't because he was struck by a comebacker that he chased down to end the Astros fourth.'

After the game, Severino revealed that he was pulled because he rolled his pitching shoulder because pitches in the fourth and the Yankees bench was concerned he was injured.

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Severino pleaded that he was fine, but still was removed from the game with Houston leading 1-0.

Severino held the Astros to one run on two hits over his four innings, the run coming on a fourth-inning homer by Carlos Correa.

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Elsa | Getty Images

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Great outing for Verlander

Former Cy Young winner and league MVP Justin Verlander was as great as he’s ever been in Game 2.

In a throwback performance, Verlander went all nine innings pitching a five hitter with 13 strikeouts and one walk in a 124-pitch outing.

Verlander’s only blemish was allowing back-to-back doubles in the fourth inning to Aaron Hicks and Todd Frazier that tied the game 1-1.

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Thomas Shea | USA TODAY Sports

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Too many Ks

The Yankees struck out 14 times in losing Game 1 and they almost matched that whiffing 13 times in Game 2.

The biggest culprits have been Brett Gardner and Gary Sanchez with five each.

Gardner was 1-for-4 with a double and three Ks in Game 2.

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Troy Taormina | USA TODAY Sports

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Headley robbed

Yankees manager Joe Girardi switched up his designated hitter again, going from Matt Holliday in Game 1 to Chase Headley in Game 2.

The move didn’t lead to the Yankees getting a first postseason hit from a DH, but Headley had good swings lining out in his first two at-bats.

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His first time up, Headley raked a drive to deep right that Josh Reddick caught was crashing into the wall.

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Thomas Shea | USA TODAY Sports

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Risky baserunning backfires

Right after Chase Headley was robbed of extra bases in the Yankees third, Brett Gardner lined a two-out, nobody-on shot into the right field corner.

Gardner still can book at 33 and he went for a triple after being waved by third base coach Joe Espada.

Bad decision.

Gardner slid head first into third and initially was called safe on a bang-bang play, but Astros third baseman Alex Bregman immediately signaled to his dugout to use a replay challenge.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch did challenge the call, replays showed Bregman tagged Gardner on the left forearm a fraction of a second before his left hand touchd the bag, and the call changed to an inning-ending out, right fielder Josh Reddick to shortstop Carlos Correa to Bregman.

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Elsa | Getty Images

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Another bad day for Judge

Rookie right fielder Aaron Judge did nothing again going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 2, leaving him 2-for-27 with 19 strikeouts since the start of the ALDS.

Judge's only big game was his playoff debut, his 2-for-4 night with a homer in the Yankees’ Wild Card win.

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Why Yankees need CC Sabathia to save them yet again

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David J. Phillip | AP

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Sanchez not hitting

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and now is 2-for-21 with 12 Ks over his last five games.

Sanchez had a decent start to the postseason, going 4-for-14 with a homer, double and two RBIs in his first three games.

“Should I bench him?” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said sarcastically. “You can overanalyze it. I look at it if he’s 2-for-20, he’s due to get some hits. It could be guys try too hard this time of the year. It’s the first time for him really in the playoffs, but I’m going to bet on him.”

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Thomas Shea | USA TODAY Sports

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Kahnle terrific again

Right-hander Tommy Kahnle replaced Severino in the fifth inning and worked two scoreless innings, allowing just a walk.

Kahnle is having a great postseason, as he's allowed just one baserunner over seven innings in four outings, a one out walk in the fifth inning of Game 2 that was erased on an inning-ending double play.

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File photos

Game 3

Sunday is the travel day for the clubs, then the Yankees will be home for Game 3 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

The pitching matchup is left-hander CC Sabathia for the Yankees versus Astros righty Charlie Morton.

Sabathia last faced Houston in July 2016 and he picked up a win with a two-run, 6 2/3-inning outing. Astros left fielder Marwin Gonzalez and platoon DH Evan Gattis homered off Sabathia.

Morton faced the Yankees once this season and was the winning pitcher May 14 in Philadelphia. He allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings, but was leading 9-0 before allowing four in the fifth, three coming on a homer by Matt Holliday.

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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.