New York Yankees: 4 Places Joe Girardi Went Wrong in 2011 Postseason

For the second straight season, the New York Yankees failed in their pursuit of a 28th World Series title.

This time around though, the blame falls on manager Joe Girardi and his questionable choices.

While execution on the part of the players is essential, Girardi's job is equally important. His responsibility is to put the best personnel on the field and make decisions that work to their strengths.

Here are four managerial mistakes that doomed the Yankees in the American League Division Series.

Poorly Assembled Batting Order

Girardi's batting order remained identical for all five games against the Detroit Tigers.

Although consistency can be effective, the only trend I saw was futility with runners in scoring position (.234—11-for-47—with RISP as a team).

The sport's most expensive player, Alex Rodriguez, was particularly out of sync in the ALDS, yet left in the cleanup spot throughout. A-Rod recorded just two hits in the series and struck out three times in the winner-take-all Game 5.

I do not blame Girardi for Rodriguez's shortcomings. However, I believe he is at fault for choosing to bat his third baseman in the heart of the order.

After returning from arthroscopic knee surgery in late August, Rodriguez batted a pathetic .191 with three home runs.

I'm surprised he even started in the postseason!

To generate more runs, speedy left fielder Brett Gardner should have batted at the top of the order, and slugger Mark Teixeira should have followed superstar second baseman Robinson Cano.

As a result, Rodriguez would have fallen to sixth, where his struggles would have been less detrimental to the team.

Ideal Postseason Batting Order

1	Brett Gardner	LF
2	Derek Jeter	SS
3	Curtis Granderson	CF
4	Robinson Cano	2B
5	Mark Teixeira	1B
6	Alex Rodriguez	3B
7	Nick Swisher	RF
8	Jorge Posada	DH
9	Russell Martin	C

Girardi's Postseason Batting Order

1	Derek Jeter	SS
2	Curtis Granderson	CF
3	Robinson Cano	2B
4	Alex Rodriguez	3B
5	Mark Teixeira	1B
6	Nick Swisher	RF
7	Jorge Posada	DH
8	Russell Martin	C
9	Brett Gardner	LF

Conservative Base Running

The Yankees had the second-most prolific offense in the majors during the regular season due to a deadly combination of power and speed.

To fans' chagrin, their approach versus Detroit's pitching was entirely dependent on the former.

While accumulating 14 extra-base hits, New York totaled only two stolen bases.

I'll admit that Tigers catcher Alex Avila is tough to run on, but the fact the Yankees attempted just two steals showed cowardice.

Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter and other position players used their aggressiveness on the base paths to frustrate defenses prior to this matchup.

The 2011 Yankees manufactured runs as well as the championship teams of the late 1990s.

Why didn't Girardi trust his speedsters with the season in jeopardy?

Unwise Pitching Substitutions

Girardi made more than a dozen trips to the mound during this series. I found his handling of C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes especially puzzling.

Sabathia's schedule became a little screwy after a rain-shortened start in Game 1. He was chosen to start Game 3 on short rest but clearly lacked his usual pinpoint location from the get-go.

Sabathia forfeited a 2-0 lead after three innings. He walked a season high six batters before exiting in the sixth, earning a no decision.

This wasn't all that shocking. Outside of his excellence in the 2009 World Series run, Sabathia has been unable to throw strikes in October (46 BB in 86.0 IP in postseason career).

I feel Girardi should have made a decision of his own while the game was still even at two runs apiece.

A well-rested Phil Hughes—unused in the playoffs thus far—could have been inserted earlier before the Yankees fell behind.

Hughes was instead saved for an arbitrary inning in Game 4.

Had he pitched in relief of Sabathia that night, perhaps Hughes would have gone deeper on Thursday when the stakes were highest.

Of all the crazy decisions, Girardi brought C.C. out of the bullpen in Game 5. The run he surrendered to Detroit's Victor Martinez was the lone mistake from an otherwise dominant Yankees relieving corps.

Oh yeah, and it led directly to their elimination.

Lack of Urgency

The Yankees could have won any of the five games in the ALDS.

As mentioned, Detroit's lineup was often overwhelmed by Yankee pitching in the later innings. Also, New York had countless opportunities with runners in scoring position.

The expectation was that the American League's No. 1 team would launch a comeback at some point. However, despite scoring in the final frames in each of their eventual defeats, the Yankees could never take the lead.

While Joe Girardi cannot knock in a runner from third with less than two outs, he can affect how his players approach the situation.

In the 2011 playoffs, Girardi did not put enough pressure on his guys.

There were too many instances where batters were practically moving on to their next plate appearance before finishing their current one.

A short memory is acceptable, but this was simply nonchalance.

Girardi should be retained as the Yankees' manager, but he's squarely on the proverbial "hot seat" for 2012.