Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Poor Didi. Poor Us.

Didi’s headfirst slide into home plate won Saturday’s game against the O’s. It also cost us his services, most likely for the WC game. When I read that the Yanks not only lost the finale of that series yesterday but also announced that Didi’s slide caused torn cartilage in his right wrist, all I could say was, “A kick in the gut.” That’s what it felt like. He’s the lynchpin of the infield and in the lineup. Sure, Gleybar can move to shortstop or Hechavaria can start there, but there’s no replacing Didi at such an important time. Boone said they’re giving him a cortisone shot to see if it alleviates the pain/inflammation enough that he can still play. I’m doubtful. Torn cartilage hurts and usually requires surgery.

But onward. I’ll be at the Trop tonight for the start of the series against the pesky Rays. Obviously, I’d like to see a win.

Someone Is Celebrating and It’s Not the Yankees

The Yankees tried to sweep the Red Sox and avoid letting them clinch the AL East on our soil, but they couldn’t manage a win in the finale. So be it.

There were some positives to take away from this series.

Severino pitched well – better than he has in ages. Happ continues to dominate the Red Sox and provide an overall consistent arm in the rotation. Luke Voit continues to mash and infuse the team with tons of energy, making Bird a distant memory. Andujar may have his shortcomings on defense, but he can hit, really hit. Stanton’s grand slam last night broke him out of his slump. And, of course, Judge is back in the lineup; he may not have found his stroke yet, but he’s getting there.

On the negative side, Gary Sanchez. Period. Please can we trade him? What good is he to this team? If he were hitting a ton, I’d say OK, maybe he can DH now and then. But he hasn’t hit for real, not in a long time. And his defense is atrocious. As Kaat said last night on MLB Network, pitchers don’t want to throw to a guy they can’t trust and Boone would be well served to use Romine in a one-game playoff. Another negative? Tanaka. I would not use him to start a one-game playoff at Yankee Stadium. He gives up too many early runs. The shaky bullpen. Honestly, every time Betances takes the mound, I worry. Ditto: Chad Green. Chapman is back but let’s see how he does after the layoff. And Sheffield may or may not play a role in important situations.

With the A’s freaky 21-run win over the Angels yesterday, we’re only a whisper in front of them in the WC standings. This thing could go down to the wire.

I’ll be at the Monday night game when they open the series against the Rays – Section 1, Row Q at the Trop. I’ll try to will them to victory, but this race is on them.

Just Ugh

RAYS 3, YANKEES 2

Yankees Leave Florida With No Homers and a Bigger A.L. East Deficit

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Aaron Judge hit a single in the first inning on Wednesday, but the Yankees were unable to get a big hit when they needed one in a loss to the Rays.CreditMike Ehrmann/Getty Images

By Peter Kerasotis

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As usual for a team hitting home runs at a record pace this season, it was the long ball that decided the Yankees’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

The problem for the Yankees, though, is that they did not hit any — not Wednesday, and not at all in this three-game series. And after a 3-2 loss at Tropicana Field, they were headed home having lost two of three in the series after being swept by the Rays the last time they faced them on the road.

“Get out of Tampa,” Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said succinctly in a somber clubhouse moment after he struck out to end the game.

But it isn’t just in Tampa — or St. Petersburg, to be precise — where the Yankees have struggled to hit home runs. In their five games since the All-Star break, the Yankees have just one homer — their fewest in a five-game stretch since June 10-15, 2016. It also was the first time they did not homer in a series of at least three games since Sept. 2-4, 2016.

They failed to get one even against a cobbled-together lineup of pitchers that the Rays were forced to deploy after they traded away their scheduled starter earlier in the day. Tampa Bay’s offense got all of its runs courtesy of two sixth inning homers: a Kevin Kiermaier two-run blast off Yankees starter Luis Cessa, followed two outs later by a solo shot from C.J. Cron, off Jonathan Holder.

“It’s a tough loss — frustrating,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said. “There were a couple of losses in this series that could have gone either way.”

But the Yankees’ inability to get a big hit in crucial situations — either via long ball or otherwise — did them in. Both losses to the Rays came by one run.

That the Boston Red Sox have kept their foot on the accelerator with the best record in baseball accentuates every Yankee loss. The latest setback dropped the Yankees to 64-36, five and a half games behind Boston, who was scheduled to play the Baltimore Orioles later Wednesday. The Red Sox also acquired the pitcher who was set to start for the Rays on Wednesday — the power right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, a former Yankee — hours before the game.

“We can’t worry about what other teams are doing, especially when we’re not playing them,” Gardner said. “We haven’t played the way we can. I still feel that the best is yet to come.”

With Eovaldi headed to Boston, the Rays started reliever Ryne Stanek, who pitched a scoreless first inning, fanning two of the 10 Yankee batters who would eventually strike out.

The trade forced the Rays to scramble in other ways, too. They pitched reliever Sergio Romo in the eighth inning, then played him at third base for the first out in the ninth before reinserting him on the mound to get the game’s final two outs.

“Do I get credit for a hold and a save?” Romo said, only half-jokingly. “That was cool. I can now say that I played third base in a major league game.”

The moment briefly overtook Romo when he returned to the pitcher’s mound.

“I was feeling kind of giddy, feeling like a little kid when you’re super excited,” he said. “But then I threw a first-pitch ball and I was like, ‘O.K., let’s go. Lock in.’ I got back in the pitching mode quickly.”

The Yankees did get a key reinforcement before the game: the rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres, who had been rehabbing a right hip strain. He went 0 for 3 in his return, but he did walk and score one of the Yankees’ two runs.

The Yankees also got a solid start from Cessa, who is vying for a permanent spot in the Yankees’ rotation after replacing the struggling Domingo German — now in Class AAA after a poor start against the Mets last week. Cessa was cruising with a shutout through five innings before a flat changeup found the fat part of Kiermaier’s bat and the hitter deposited it in the right-field stands.

It wasn’t the first changeup Cessa had thrown to Keirmaier in the at-bat. “He threw me the same pitch and I swung right through it,” Keirmaier said. “That’s not the way to make a living, missing pitches you’re supposed to take advantage of. When he threw me the same pitch again, I got a hold of it.”

After Cessa was lifted one out later, Holder struck out the first batter he faced before surrendering a solo home run to Cron. The Yankees had pushed across a run home in the second and eighth innings, and had two base runners in the ninth, but couldn’t manage a big hit when they needed one.

“The Rays scored those few runs in the sixth, but that shouldn’t be enough to hold us down,” Gardner said. “We have to play better baseball. We didn’t have a great game collectively.”

Added Boone: “We have to move on quickly and go get home and kick off a nice home stand. I know our bats will start coming around. We’re close to breaking free — close to breaking out.”

Yankees-Rays: Another Loss at the Trop

I wasn’t there this time; I didn’t want to jinx the Yanks as I feared I did last time they came to St. Pete. I needn’t have worried. They jinxed themselves. Or, should I say, Gary Sanchez jinxed them with his sloppy, lazy playing. Brace yourself for a rant.

I’ve been quiet on the blog during the All-Star break because I don’t watch the game or the home run derby. And earlier in the month, I was glued to Wimbledon, tennis fan that I am. But now I’m letting my frustration fly: the Yankees are blowing it. They were keeping it close with the Red Sox, having a really entertaining battle with their rival for the division lead. Now? They’ve squandered that lead.

Tonight, Severino had an uncharacteristically bad outing, but it kicked off with Sanchez’s run-scoring passed ball, and it looked to me as if the two of them were having a heated discussion about it in the dugout. Not good.

Fast forward to the ninth inning. The Rays had gotten off to a great start in the game but the Yanks came all the way back to within one run with bases loaded. On the final play, Sanchez chugged – seriously, I could run faster than he did – to first base for the last out, ending the opener of the three-game set. If there’s one thing I can’t abide, it’s lack of hustle. It was my problem with Cano, and now it’s a problem and has been a problem with Sanchez. I hate to say it, but I think we’re looking at another Jesus Montero situation. Sanchez will probably be benched or fined for tonight’s stink-up, but he should be traded for a starting pitcher. I’m done watching him be talked to and disciplined. I’m done sensing that pitchers don’t want him to catch them. I’m just done.

Now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest, it’s on to tomorrow’s game. Let’s hope for a better result before this season slips away.

A Reverse Sweep – Not Good!

After Andujar’s homer in today’s finale against the Rays and Stanton’s later on, I thought maybe it would set the tone, there would be offense and we would fend off the Rays to avoid being swept. Wrong. Into extra innings the Yankees stumbled, missing chance after chance to score more runs, even though the bullpen kept them in the game. Well, until Shreve gave it all up with that walk off homer. My heart sank at the sound of the crack of the bat.

I know the Yankees won’t win every game. I also know they won’t always beat teams they should beat. But they really looked flat this weekend. With Sanchez hurt and possibly headed for the DL, we’re another bat down, not that he was on fire or anything. And I’ll say it again: WE NEED A STARTING PITCHER. Yes, the kids show promise, but they’re inconsistent – too inconsistent for a serious pennant race.

I hope this malaise they’re showing doesn’t carry over into the Phillies series, but there are likely to be pitchers over there the Yankees have never faced and we know how they don’t do well against those. Grrrrrr.

But I’ll end on a positive note. The team is good. They are. In the long run, they’ll be fine.

Now That Was a Great Sweep

It’s one thing to beat teams you’re supposed to beat, but the Mariners came into the Bronx and presented stiff competition. So when Chapman threw the last pitch of today’s game and nailed down the sweep of Seattle, it was thrilling. It was thrilling to prevail in the tight games all series long. It was thrilling to come from behind. It was thrilling to see Stanton have his “signature” Yankees moment with the walk-off in last night’s game. It was thrilling to beat King Felix. It was thrilling to watch Torres and Andujar and Hicks, etc do so well. And it was thrilling that German wasn’t a flash in the pan. “Lasagna,” as they call the Nicaraguan pitcher, is still a work in progress but a talented one. For now, it’s ok to have the kids starting, but come playoff time, we’ll need a veteran arm to take us deep into games. I know, I know. I’ve already beaten that drum here and Cashman’s looking, so I’ll stop.

Tomorrow night the Yanks will be here in St. Pete to play the Rays and I’ll be at the Trop – down in front on the visitor’s side – hoping to see a Janer. I’ll have my Judge jersey on, so wave at the TV if you see me :)

Moving Hiatus

I’m moving – as in right this minute – and will have to take some time off from the blog to deal with the joys (not!) of packing, moving and unpacking over the next week or so. Michael and I decided we were done with winter in CT and are making the switch to FL (St. Pete) full time. The good news, aside from no more snow, is seeing the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa and whenever they play the Rays at the Trop.

While I’m off the grid, I’ll be checking scores and hoping for all good things for our boys.

Back soon!

Mt. Crushmore!

Ok, Greg Bird is out of the picture for now, but how about the murderer’s row on display in today’s finale against the Rays? Stanton, Judge and Sanchez all hit bombs and Didi put on a HR show yesterday. Good job, guys.

Severino was impressive even if the Rays are notorious underachievers at the plate.

The important points were that Stanton rebounded from the booing he earned yesterday, Sanchez woke up from his slumbering start to the season and Judge continued to flex his muscles. If I were an opposing pitcher, I would have nightmares thinking about facing this lineup even if they do go into slumps now and then.

Speaking of offense, the O’s come to the Bronx for our first matchup with them this year. They can hit, but can they pitch? We shall see.

Oh – I forgot to mention – I’ve been spending the winter in St. Petersburg, FL (actually I did mention it in a previous post about going to the first spring training game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa), and now I’ll be living here full time starting in June. So whenever the Yanks come into town to play the Rays, I hope to be at the Trop. I also hope to catch a glimpse of the players while they’re coming and going at their hotel. Recently, I snapped this pic at the Vinoy while the Red Sox were in town.

Do you honestly think I’m NOT going to take a photo of our heroes? Not a chance.

Snowed Out!


What a bummer! Don’t the baseball gods understand that it’s spring? I feel so sorry for my friends who were planning to be at Opening Day today, but it’s not to be. Sob.

Meanwhile, I wasn’t happy with the way the Toronto series ended. The boys never seem to give Sonny Gray any run support, and yesterday’s game was no exception (well, they got 4 runs but not many hits). And then there was Boone leaving Robertson in to face Smoak. Seriously? Who didn’t know there would be a grand slam in that scenario?

Prior to that, we had another meltdown by Betances. He’s got so much talent. I really hope he can work out his mechanics or get his head straight or whatever it is.

The injuries, too, are a problem. They always are, I know. But I just want Hicks and company back as soon as possible.

Hoping for better weather in the Bronx tomorrow, but rain is in the forecast????

Stuck in a Ditch

Are the Yankees ever going to push the Red Sox out of the division lead? We win, we lose, we win, we lose. We won the series against the Rays with today’s “W,” but no matter what we do, we’re still 3 1/2 games back in the standings. It’s frustrating!

The good news is we’ve pulled ahead of the Twins for the Wild Card, so that’s something. But I’d still love to take the AL East. I’d also like to see Judge, Sanchez, Holliday (so glad he’s back), Castro, Didi and the rest of the gang get hits, hits and more hits. No more of these one or two-runs a game. Poor Sonny Gray gets no run support. I want runs, I tell you. Janer after Janer.

And I want pitching – from the starters as well as the relievers. Robertson had a great game the other night and Chapman seems nearly back to his old self. Girardi has had a quick hook with CC and Garcia, and I don’t blame him; these are all must-win games from here on.

Now it’s time again for the Orioles. They’re free-swingers but they can bash. And they’ve been on a slide. (How about the Indians, btw? Who wins all those games in a row? What a season they’re having.)

Not much else to say except it’s crunch time. I can’t believe we’re in mid-September already, but the leaves on the trees here in CT don’t lie. So let’s go, Yankees. For real.

Welcome Jaime Garcia, I Guess.

He’s a lefty. He’s a veteran. The Yankees needed a starter. You can never have enough pitchers. He’ll do in a pinch. My hope is that he’ll fill in capably until the Yanks pull off a trade for Sonny Gray with Oakland. I’d hate to lose one of our favorite Baby Bombers, but if Gray does land in the Bronx, maybe we’ll only lose a prospect we haven’t grown to love yet.

Meanwhile, how about that series against Tampa?! Audrey said she wished the Yanks would win 3 of 4, and she got her wish. Yesterday’s game could have/should have been a win too, resulting in a 4-game sweep. With a last ditch chance in the bottom of the ninth, the boys couldn’t pull it off, but it was still a great series putting us right back into first place over the Red Sox. Yay.

What was great about the series was how resilient this team continues to be. Although we got some good starting pitching, others faltered, putting the hitters in a hole. And yet they always bounced back – a hallmark of the 2017 version of the Yankees. Which makes them so much fun to watch: you never count them out.

I do worry about Judge. No, not because he chipped a tooth after Gardner’s walk-off (Gardner was tremendous during the series – kudos to him). But – and I know I’m in the minority – he’s been in a slump since the Home Run Derby. Whether there’s a link or his sinking batting average is the result of the normal ebb and flow of a season, he got off to a torrid start and lately he’s been struggling (or “scuffling,” as Girardi calls it). He’s big and strong, but he’s still young and has never played at the major league level with such intensity. Perhaps he’s just genuinely tired.

The two Fraziers have been real contributors, and Headley has had a resurgence both at the plate and as a first baseman. And Chapman is Chapman again – a huge relief.

Next up is Detroit and then it’ll be off to Cleveland mid-week for a big series against a top contender. Can it really be August tomorrow?

 

Well, That Was Easy

How nice to have a quick two-game sweep of the Reds back home at the Stadium. It wasn’t a 10-game winning streak, but I’ll take it.

Random observations….Montgomery pitched a gem on Tuesday night and Severino was superb yesterday. Kudos to them. I know nothing about the Cincinnati Reds and their offense, but our two starters looked really tough…….Clint Frazier is proving to be a nice addition to the team, both offensively and defensively. Which creates a dilemma for the Yankees when Aaron Hicks comes off the DL. Too many outfielders? Does one of them get traded for a starter? Can we keep both, along with Gardner and Ellsbury? (Judge is untouchable, obviously.)….As for the other Frazier, Todd (or as John Sterling called him “The Toddfather”) hit into a triple play in his first at-bat on home turf Tuesday night, but the Toms River, NJ native smacked his first homer yesterday. How cool would it be if he provided real offensive pop at third base after coming over from the Cubs… I’m still worried about Betances. He’s been so shaky that I find myself wincing every time he’s on the mound. At least Chapman seems to have straightened out his mechanics. But Cessa needs to go. He’s not helping, not even for mop-up duties….With the trade deadline getting closer, I’m eager to see if Cashman pulls off a trade for a starter. There’s no longer a question whether this Yankees team is a contender. They are, and another strong arm in the rotation would only solidify our position. But the immediate goal is to trample the Rays during this next series. They’re our pesky rivals, so it’s essential that we don’t lose ground to them.

Tanaka Panic

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

The Yankees were able to salvage yesterday’s finale against the Rays at The Trop, thanks to starting pitching from CC, another save from Betances, great defense by Judge and nice offense from Didi and Gardner. But the other two games in the series were not the stuff of happy dances.

The headline from the weekend really has to be Tanaka. What is wrong with him? Where’s the pitcher we saw early in the season? Who’s the guy who’s getting pounded these days with seemingly no command, no game plan, no sense of how to fix whatever has gone drastically awry? He claims he’s not hurt, that it’s all mechanics, so it sounds as if his entire pitching motion needs an overall in addition to which his confidence has to be shot. He’s our ace, so I really hope Rothschild can figure this out asap.

The other headline from the two losses is Longoria. I say this over and over after we play the Rays. Why in the world do we ever pitch to the guy? He kills us, absolutely destroys us every time he comes to the plate. Didn’t I read that he has more RBIs against the Yankees than any player has against any other team? It’s sick.  He must salivate every time he sees us on the schedule. Clearly, there needs to be a different pitching strategy against him – or several.

Now it’s back home to face the Royals again. It’s supposed to rain during the week so we’ll see how much baseball gets played, but after the recent victories in KC, I’m the one who’s salivating.

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

The Yankees’ offensive might was on full display in Games 1 and 2 of the series against the Royals, with a combination of small ball, big ball and really big ball. I love the combination of power and speed, but what I really love is this team’s ability to take the extra base. Remember how frustrating it was when we had all those older, slower veterans who lumbered to get around the bases and often didn’t even try? Not anymore. The 2017 Yankees are athletic and frisky, and it’s paying dividends.

Last night’s finale was a bit of a bummer, as the KC pitcher stymied the hitters and the sweep was lost, but overall I was happy with the way they played.

And let me spend a second on Aaron Hicks. I thought I’d be talking about Gary Sanchez and then Aaron Judge relentlessly this season, but Hicks has really been an eye opener. He gets his hits, is fast, makes good plays in the outfield, does it all. Impressive. One of the broadcasters – maybe O’Neill? – compared him to Bernie Williams, and I agree to a point. Let’s see what he does over the course of his career and then we can pin the “Bernie” label on him. Still, I’m excited to see what he can do.

Next up: the pesky Rays. We should beat them every time we play them but somehow The Trop proves bedeviling. It’s tough to even watch games there. I always feel as if they’re playing inside a gym. But maybe the Yanks will overcome and mute the cowbells.

First Sweep of the Season!

And the “Babe Ruth” in last night’s game wasn’t Aaron Judge but Aaron Hicks with two homers against the Rays. Joining him in heroics was Luis Severino, who hadn’t won a game in forever, but had 11 Ks to dominate. And Chapman got another chance to be lights out. Well, not quite lights out – he did give up a hit and some of the at bats took awhile – but the man does bring the heat.

Brett Gardner got shook up in a collision at first base the other day so he’s shaky, but Greg Bird is back. Now if he could start hitting maybe we’d be in business.

It’s too early to tell what to make of this version of the Yankees, but when they win, they’re as much fun to watch as any Yankee team. What continues to trouble me is the number of empty seats behind home plate – the expensive seats. They’re practically bare in the early innings and gradually fill in during the game, after the Legends Suite holders finish dinner, I guess. But there’s a wide shot from the centerfield camera that shows just how embarrassing the situation is – at least to me. Yes, it’s April and the cold nights aren’t for everybody. Here’s hoping it warms up and either the Yankees drop their prices or fans decide to pony up.

Opening Day Was Nearly Perfecto!

Wow. Was I pleasantly surprised to read that Pineda had such a fabulous outing today. And what fun it must have been to watch him pitch a perfecto so deep into the game. Maybe the key was having Romine catch him? Or maybe he just liked the home atmosphere. Whatever the trick was, good for him.

Of course, it had to be our nemesis on the Rays, Longoria, who broke up the party. Why he’s such a Yankee killer beats me, but he must love playing us. On our side, I’m encouraged to see Aaron Judge once again go deep and hope it bodes well for his future in pinstripes.

More after this series concludes. In the meantime, in case anyone’s interested, Tyler Kepner wrote a long piece about Cashman that ran in the NYT today. Take a look.

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