Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Welcome Back, Matt Holliday!

Just having a little fun with the name, but did the Yankees ever miss the bat of Matt Holliday. He came back not a moment too soon – contributing mightily to the crucial series win over the Red Sox. Now we have a true DH or even a first baseman, if necessary.

Chase Headley’s hot streak at the plate also comes at the perfect time. And how about Severino’s pitching in this series? Inning for inning, he bested the great and powerful Chris Sale. Good for him and good for the Yanks. CC is showing what a crafty pitcher he’s become too. His spat with Nunez over the bunt on Friday night was comical – as was Jim Rice’s retort to him – but it doesn’t matter now since we won’t play the Sox again (thankfully). I was happy for Judge’s homer last night, but he really has fizzled out. Which is, again, why Holliday’s offense is so important.

Too bad Hicks is now gone with an oblique strain. He had cooled off lately, but he’s had his share of injuries this season.

So now? We have the always-difficult Orioles to deal with. I hope there’s no letdown and the Yanks keep playing great baseball. I want the division, not the Wild Card!

It’s Infirmary Time Again

The injury bug has descended for real and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Yankees, who were already reeling from loss after loss (with one win wedged in there just to tease us). The long-time patients of the DL are CC, Ellsbury and Bird, but the latest arrival – and it pains me to utter this guy’s name because he’s been playing so well) is Aaron Hicks. Ugh. When I read about his oblique and that he’d be out for three-to-four weeks, my heart sank. And then we have Matt Holliday and his mysterious allergy. I’d thought that was a one-time problem after he ate breakfast in Oakland. (Something in the cereal, perhaps? Like maybe he’s sensitive to almond milk; my husband is.) He got a shot of Benadryl as we all would, and steroids too, but he’s still not feeling tip top, which is odd. Allergies don’t usually last unless the allergen is still in your system. OK, I’m not a doctor, but it’s weird.

The good news was that Tanaka pitched a gem over the weekend against his countryman, Darvish, and the Rangers. The bad news was that Pineda was homer-prone yet again yesterday. The Yankees nearly crawled out from the deep hole they were in, but they went down to defeat and it was depressing.

Aaron Judge aside, this current short-handed team isn’t strong enough to win ballgames on a regular basis the way the Yanks were early in the season. And I did enjoy the winning. Who wouldn’t? I’d love to be optimistic about this road trip, beginning with the White Sox, but I fear the good times are slipping away. Someone talk me out of it.

First Place Feels Good Except…

Gardner was frustrated after striking out to start an inning last night, channeling Paul O’Neill back in the day. (I love when Holliday turns around to look and is so nonchalant.)

The good news is the Yankees won the game, yet again in come-from-behind fashion, and their 8-6 win over Toronto and series win put them squarely in first place – not a bad way to kick off May. They really are fun to watch.

CC dug them an early hole for the second time in a row. He was pitching well to start the season but is clearly in a slump now. I hope Rothschild can figure out what’s wrong. We need CC to go deep into games or the bullpen will be toast.

On the plus side, it seems there’s no hole our hitters can’t dig themselves out of – with power, grit and a little luck. Judge just keeps being Judge. Will he continue to homer his way into the record books for a rookie? Or will he turn out like this guy?

My guess is he’ll have longevity. Maas wasn’t even a highly touted prospect, as I recall, and he certainly didn’t have Judge’s size. But Judge is more than a big, tall guy. He’s a kid who worked hard to cut down on the strikeouts – the knock against him in the minors – and now he’s got a great eye at the plate. He and Hicks and Castro, in particular, were free swingers who take pitches now.

And I can’t forget to give some love to Holliday for hitting his 300th homer. That’s pretty impressive, and he’s been a nice addition to the Yankees. He and Chris Carter are giving the kids a veteran presence to look up to, and they’re contributing in their own way.

On we go to Chicago to play the Cubs this weekend. I’m glad Warren and Chapman will get their World Series rings, but I hope the Yanks make the Cubs forget they’re champs and beat them silly.

I Blame Joe

Photo: John Munson/The Star-Ledger

I was so hoping to post the image of a broom in this edition of the blog. After the first two rousing games in the home series against the O’s during which I began to think this Yankees team would never lose (unrealistic, but they were that inspiring), today’s finale was a major letdown for me – especially since the boys pulled off yet another miracle and tied up the game in the ninth.

But my cheers turned to sighs as I watched Girardi do what he often does: over-manage. Forget the binders for once. Stop babying pitchers. Chapman’s a big, strapping guy who isn’t made of glass. He could have hung around and pitched another inning. There was no need for Mitchell to play first and then pitch, as entertaining as it was to watch Mitchell field the ball. There was no need to fiddle with the lineup, taking out Matt Holliday, the hero of Game 1. Would the Yankees have won the game if Girardi hadn’t tinkered? Who knows, but sometimes it’s okay to leave well enough alone.

Let me be clear. I have nothing to complain about. The Yanks finished the week with a piece of first place and they’ve played great. It’s just that once I get a taste of winning, it’s hard to lose a game in extras that we could have/should have won.

But onto the next series. The Blue Jays are always a handful. I hope the Baby Bombers can rise to the occasion.

Oh, have I mentioned I’m crazy about Aaron Judge? Don’t let me down, Aaron.

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.