2011 MLB Playoffs: What Went Wrong for the Yankees in ALDS Loss to Tigers?

Before the game on Thursday, it looked like everything was lining up in favor of the Yankees. They had won Game 4 on the road against the Tigers 10-1, with A.J. Burnett.

They were heading back to Yankee Stadium for a Game 5.

And they had Ivan Nova on the mound, who hadn't lost since June 3.

But, two solo home runs off Nova by Don Kelly and Delmon Young in the first inning, and an RBI single by Victor Martinez in the fifth inning off CC Sabathia, gave the Tigers all the runs they needed and knocked off the No. 1-seeded Yankees, 3-2.

The Tigers beat the Yankees again in the ALDS, just like they did back in 2006, and now the Tigers will travel to take on the current American League Champion Texas Rangers in the ALCS, starting Saturday.

What went wrong for the Yankees in the series?

Quite a bit, unfortunately.

CC Sabathia, Not Freddy Garcia, Should Have Pitched in Game 2

The rain caused Game 1 to be suspended last Friday and resumed Saturday. CC Sabathia, who started in Game 1, got through two innings and looked very sharp.

Girardi didn't want to give the ball back to Sabathia for Game 2, even though the ace insisted he was willing and ready to take the ball. Instead, Girardi sticks with Freddy Garcia against the Tigers in Game 2.

Garcia's line in the game: 5.1 innings, six hits, four runs, no walks and six strikeouts.

Garcia put the Yankees in an early hole by allowing a two-run home run to Miguel Cabrera and they were never able to climb out.

Garcia did keep the Yankees in the game, yes. But in no way was Garcia beating Detroit in Game 2. From the first inning with Cabrera's home run, you had the feeling that Garcia wasn't getting it done.

Plus, Sabathia is a much better pitcher at Yankee Stadium than he is at Comerica Park.

With the way Sabathia was pitching on Friday, I still would have given the ball to him for Game 2 and not Garcia.

I blame this one on Joe Girardi for managing by the book, instead of tossing the book out the window and handing the ball back to his ace for Game 2, where it favored Sabathia to pitch in New York and not in Detroit, where he wasn't as sharp in Game 3.

Nobody Filled Andy Pettitte's Shoes

When Andy Pettitte retired back in February, little did we know the huge void he was leaving in the rotation.

Sure, the Yankees won the American League East, had the best record in the AL and had home-field advantage, but in the postseason, you can throw that all out the window.

And in a five-game series, you can take every single record and even the home-field advantage, and throw it out the window as well.

In 2009 and 2010, the Yankees got through the ALDS. Why? Andy Pettitte gave them depth and playoff experience, plus he won against the Twins both times.

In 2011, who was the veteran the Yankees could rely on to give them the innings they needed? Freddy Garcia flopped in Game 2. Bartolo Colon didn't even pitch in the series and wasn't even on the roster.

Having Pettitte in the rotation always made the Yankees much stronger and deeper in the playoffs, and in 2011, they missed his presence.

And they especially missed the type of presence he could have brought into that Game 5.

Do I blame Nova for the loss on Thursday? No. He got pulled after two innings, and after the shaky first inning, he looked like he got control, before being pulled due to forearm tightness.

But if I could have had Pettitte and his 19-10 career postseason record on the mound for Game 5, I would have done it in a heartbeat.

Andy, you will always be loved by Yankees fans and, after this season, you are dearly missed.

They Couldn't Get Delmon Young out to Save Their Lives

When the Tigers made a waiver-trade for Delmon Young from their division rival Minnesota Twins back in August, little did any of us know how big of a deal it would be.

In Game 1, he hit a first-inning solo home run off CC Sabathia to make it 1-0.

In Game 3, he hit the go-ahead solo home run off Rafael Soriano to give the Tigers a 5-4 lead, a lead that held up.

And in Game 5, he hit a solo home run off Ivan Nova, right after Don Kelly hit his home run, to make the game 2-0.

Young made an impact in this series, as he hit .316 with the three huge home runs.

Credit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski for getting Young in August, especially when Brennan Boesch went down for the rest of the season with an injury.

If they could give out an ALDS MVP Award, Delmon Young won it for this series.

It wasn't Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Magglio Ordonez or even Justin Verlander.

Nope, Young was the ultimate Yankees-killer here.

Nick Swisher Still Can't Buy a Big Hit

Never mind the fact that Nick Swisher is a great guy and well-liked in New York. The song and dance gets old in October. Because ONCE AGAIN, he fails to be anything decent in October.

In 2011, Swisher went 4-for-19, hitting just .211 and striking out five times.

In Game 5, with Max Scherzer pitching, he just walked in Mark Teixeira in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the game 3-2.

Scherzer was struggling with command, and he was due to give up a big hit, especially with the bases loaded.

That was, until Swisher got up with the bases loaded, let Scherzer off the hook and struck out to end the potential Yankees rally.

The Yankees have an option on Swisher for 2012, which more than likely will get picked up, because there really aren't other great options out there for right field.

But once again, Swisher deflated in the postseason.

(Nick: Maybe in the winter, instead of working on singing cover songs for a CD, you should work on that thing you call a swing.)

Mark Teixeira Has Another Awful October in Pinstripes

The Yankees have two different Mark Teixeiras playing for them.

OK, there is Mark Teixeira, who is an MVP candidate in the regular season, hits over 30-home runs, drives in over 100 RBI and plays an outstanding first base.

Then, there is the other Teixeira, who STINKS in the playoffs.

In 2011, Teixeira once again had another lousy postseason for the Yankees, hitting .167 (3-for-18) against the Tigers.

In Game 5, Teixeira did show some patience by walking with the bases loaded that made the game 3-2, but that's about all he did.

Teixeira is a great player, but for the third year in a row, he has stunk in October. Teixeira's poor postseason performances seem to fly under the radar, but if it continues to be a trend while he wears pinstripes in the future, I doubt it will continue to fly under the radar with the Yankee faithful much longer.

The Yankees Don't Make Jose Valverde Eat His Words

After Game 2 of the ALDS, Tigers closer Jose Valverde went on record saying the series "was over" and it wouldn't go back to New York.

It's a pretty bold statement to make while you are playing against the Yankees, considering they do have a history of hitting big home runs off closers in the postseason (Armando Benitez, Mark Wohlers, Trevor Hoffman, Byung-Hyun Kim, Joe Nathan, Brian Fuentes).

But in the 2011 ALDS, the Yankees really never made Valverde pay.

They did get to him for two runs in Game 2, which made it 5-3, and Robinson Cano did get to the plate with two on and two out, but he also grounded out to end the game.

And in Game 5, Valverde breezed right through the Yankees order to close out the game and series.

Valverde went 2-for-2 in save attempts and didn't blow a single one against the Yankees.

In the end, "Papa Grande" really did get the last laugh, even if his prediction was a little off and had to finish it in the Bronx.

Alex Rodriguez Fails the Yankees in October, AGAIN!

OK, I know what he did in 2009, and if it weren't for Alex Rodriguez having a monster postseason two years ago, the Yankees don't win the World Series in 2009.

I am grateful for what he did then. No doubt. But that was two years ago. Two years ago doesn't swing the bat for you now, does it?

In 2010, A-Rod hit .143 in the ALCS against the Rangers and was struck out by Neftali Feliz to end Game 6.

And in 2011, it's another repeat performance by the A-Rod all Yankees fans wish they could kick in the face in October.

His average: .111. That's 2-for-18. No home runs, and three RBI. And six strikeouts.

Alex, what in the hell are you doing out there? And what are you swinging at?

His Game 5 was an absolute disaster, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and three huge runners left on base, most of which was during the seventh inning.

Yes, in the seventh inning, this disaster inning for the Yankees, they had a chance to blow the game wide open.

Robinson Cano hit a ball that Joaquin Benoit couldn't field, and it loaded the bases for A-Rod. I'm sure a lot of you were thinking Alex was due for a big hit in 2011.

And with the bases loaded, and Benoit looking absolutely scared on the mound, A-Rod bailed him out by swinging at a bad strike-three and failing to deliver.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the score 3-2 and two outs, he had one more chance against Jose Valverde.

And Valverde, like Feliz did, made Alex look like a fool, striking out to end the game, and to end the Yankees season for the second year in a row.

Alex has once again become Public Enemy No. 1 by the Yankees fans all over. If you don't believe it, you should see my news feed on Facebook; it's brutal.

(Alex, before the 2012 season begins, and even the 2012 postseason begins, please, for the love of God, get back together with Kate Hudson. You haven't had a decent October since you broke up with her!)

What Now for the Yankees Heading into the Winter?

For the first time since 2007, the Yankees have a first-round exit, so their offseason becomes a lot quicker than expected.

The Yankees have a ton of questions they need to figure out.

Does Yankees GM Brian Cashman come back, or does he bolt out of town?

Does CC Sabathia opt out of his contract? If so, how much will it take for the Yankees to lock him up? (If they don't, the Yankees' 2012 season is screwed.)

What do they do with A.J. Burnett? Do they keep him in the rotation or do they try to explore a trade?

Does Rafael Soriano opt out of his contract and become a free agent again? He could if he wanted to and try to become a closer again, but given he was on the DL for a few months, does he want to risk losing guaranteed money?

What does Jorge Posada do? Does he retire or does he still want to play baseball in 2012? Because if he does, his spot on the Yankees isn't even guaranteed in 2012.

Do the Yankees bring back Nick Swisher for 2012? They have the team-option on him, so they have to figure out if they want him back for another year.

How do the Yankees replace the spots of Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon? We all know they were one-year signings and never expected anything long term.

Do Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, two of the Yankees highly-ranked pitching prospects, get called up for 2012? The Yankees have refused to trade either of them.

And lastly, what do the Yankees do regarding free agency and trades? There are a lot of quality free agents out there the Yankees could explore signing, or will the Yankees bolster their team through a trade?

Heading into the winter after a disappointing end to the 2011 season, the Yankees have a lot of questions to figure out on this team before spring training rolls around again for 2012.

For a second year in a row, the Yankees season ends much earlier than expected, and with great disappointment.