CAN’T TOUCHT THAT!

Bombers unable to hit Verlander in troubling replay of ALCS starts

Despite an overall pedestrian career record against the Yankees during the regular season, Aaron Boone wasn’t fooled by the difficult chore of facing Justin Verlander.

“He is throwing the ball as well as anyone in the sport right now,’’ Boone said prior to Monday’s Astros-Yankees tilt at Yankee Stadium. “We know we are going to have our hands full.’’

Unfortunately for Boone’s club, the manager was correct as Verlander hurled the defending World Series champions to a 5-1 victory in front of a Memorial Day crowd of 46,583.

“He uses all his pitches when he wants and it makes for a long day,’’ said Greg Bird, who led off the seventh inning with a towering homer to right off Verlander. “Respect the fastball and he knows how to use everything else.’’

Verlander entered the game 6-7 against the Yankees in the regular season and 4-0 against them in October. That included two gems in last October’s ALCS, which the Astros won in seven games. He used that October magic again on May 1 in Houston when he blanked the Yankees across eight innings only to watch reliever Ken Giles flush the victory by giving up four runs in the ninth.

So, when J. D. Davis lofted a three-run homer to left off Domingo German ( 0- 3, 5.45 ERA) in the second inning the long day was underway. Second baseman Gleyber Torres’ throwing error to start the fourth led to an unearned run that hiked the Astros’ advantage to 4-0. The way Verlander cruised through six frames that 4-0 looked a lot larger.

“You know you are up against one of the games’ best,’’ Boone said of Verlander, who improved to 7-2 and has a 1.11 ERA. “That said, I know we are always in it. We had a couple of opportunities. We realize it’s going to be tough but we are always one swing away.’’

Torres’ single to center with one out in the second was followed by Aaron Hicks getting hit in the foot. An ice-cold Didi Gregorius, dropped to seventh in the order for the first timei this season, flied to center to push his slump to 4-for-71. With Miguel Andujar at the plate, Verlander spun toward second and picked off Torres.

Two innings later Torres’ throwing miscue led to a run.

Bird’s f irst homer of the season in his third game back from the disabled list cut the deficit to 4-1 in the seventh. When Gregorius singled to center with two outs, Astros manager A.J. Hinch called for Will Harris to face Andujar. After Gregorius swiped second, Andujar whiffed. Jose Altuve’s leadoff homer against A.J. Cole upped the Astros’ lead to 5-1, but there is always a chance against the Astros’ bullpen.

However, Chris Devenski pitched around Neil Walker’s leadoff single in the eighth and Giles did the same in the ninth when Torres opened with a single. Each right-hander retired the following three batters. The Yankees’ fourth loss in six games combined with the AL East-leading Red Sox beating the Blue Jays dropped the Yankees’ two lengths back of their blood rivals. And it doesn’t get easier Tuesday night when Charlie Morton (7-0, 2.04 ERA) starts for the Astros and the Yankees counter with CC Sabathia, who will attempt to shake off a bad outing (seven runs; six hits in 4 ¹/₃ innings) against the Rangers on Wednesday in Texas. Morton doesn’t possess Verlander’s résumé, but he has evolved into a frontline starter every bit as capable of shutting down a lineup as Verlander is. On April 30 in Houston, Morton allowed the Yankees a run, two hits and struck out 10 in 7 ²/₃ innings. To blame Torres for the Yankees’ loss isn’t entirely fair, but the throwing error on a routine ground ball and getting picked off second with two outs were mistakes that can’t be overcome against a pitcher like Verlander. Or Morton. Or Wednesday’s starter, Dallas Keuchel.