The Mercury News

Upstart Yankees unfazed by 2-0 series deficit against the Astros

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Trailing again 2-0 in the postseason, these young New York Yankees remain even keeled going into Game 3 of the AL Championsh­ip Series against the Houston Astros.

“I don’t know if it’s maturity or just being dumb,” Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said Sunday.

At 36 the old man of the pitching staff, Sabathia will pitch Monday surrounded by a starting lineup that includes Baby Bombers Aaron Judge (25), Gary Sanchez (24) and Greg Bird (24).

New York seeks inspiratio­n from its comeback last week from a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five Division Series against Cleveland, which led the AL with 102 wins — one more than Houston.

Girardi said New York’s streaky nature during the season also bred confidence. The Yankees started 38-23, opening a fourgame AL East lead, lost 19 of their next 26, then rebounded to finish 91-71 and earn the top wild card.

“Guys started to understand that you have to be resilient in this game,” the manager said. “You’re going to have really tough losses and you have to learn to bounce back.”

While Judge, Sanchez and Didi Gregorius combined to go 2 for 22 in the first two games of the series, Astros stars Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa went 8 for 15.

Houston, two wins from its first World Series appearance since 2005, starts 33-year-old right-hander Charlie Morton, who grew up in Connecticu­t rooting for the Yankees.

He remembered getting Joe Girardi’s autograph at spring training and his family spotting Derek Jeter at a Bahama Breeze restaurant, an especially exhilarati­ng experience for his sister, Jennie.

“She walked up to him and said, ‘Hey, can I have a picture with you?’ And he said, ‘Only if you smile,”’ Morton recalled.

After a pair of 2-1 games in Houston, the series shifted to the Bronx and the Astros worked out at Yankee Stadium, where New York went 5130 during the regular season. Houston won the 2015 AL wild-card game in the Bronx by a 3-0 score.

“It will be the biggest game of my career,” said Morton, who didn’t get a decision against Boston in Game 4 of the Division Series.

Sabathia was 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 10 starts following Yankees’ losses during the regular season and didn’t get decisions against the Indians in New York’s Game 2 loss or Game 5 win.

“I’ll go out and do my thing and let the bullpen clean up my mess,” Sabathia said.

Morton follows Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander, whose stellar starts were the primary factor in the Yankees’ 27 strikeouts over the two games.

• Yankees DHs are 0 for 27 in the postseason, but Girardi isn’t thinking about starting Ronald Torreyes there instead of Chase Headley, Jacoby Ellsbury or Matt Holliday.

“It’s not something he’s accustomed to doing,” Girardi said.

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