Questions for Joe Girardi

I know it's easy to judge the decisions Joe Girardi made during this series in hindsight. Some worked out well, many others didn't. Maybe some of you can share your opinions.

1. Why did the batting order not change?  Jim Leyland effectively made changes in his lineup every night to give the Tigers their best chance to win. Joe Girardi, not so much. In my opinion, he has always been way too rigid. Jeter, Cano, Posada and Gardner were the Yankees' hottest hitters this series (add Jesus Montero to that list based on his 2-2 performance). They batted 1st, 3rd, 7th, 9th and (rode the bench) respectively. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira were cold all September and all series. They hit 4th and 5th. I commend Girardi for finally making Cano the 3rd hitter late in the season, but iverall, he hasn't been flexible with his lineup. In the playoffs, it shouldn't matter who the sluggers are supposed to be. You should ride the hottest hitters. 

2. Why pitch CC Sabathia twice on 2 days' rest?  Yes, he's the ace, and using him in game 3 was generally regarded as the right move. But bringing him into game 5 was unnecessary (see question 3). When you go with a ridiculous 6 man rotation for half the season, giving Sabathia 5 days between starts, you can't expect results with him pitching on less than half his normal rest. He took the loss in game 5.

3. Why use so many pitchers in game 5?  Nova got hurt, so Girardi brought in Hughes. Ok fine. Hughes pitched well. But then he went to Logan, who also pitched well. Then with a lefty already on the mound, he decided to burn his other lefty, CC Sabathia. Finally, Girardi had found his pitcher who would struggle and end up losing the game. My point is: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Hughes could have gone longer.

4. Why did your top 2 relief pitchers throw a combined 3 1/3 innings all series?  The best reliever in baseball threw 8 pitches in the series, none of which really mattered. Girardi's "formula" simply doesn't work in the playoffs. If he insists on bringing in David Robertson and Mariano Rivera only for the 8th and 9th if the Yankees have the lead, he's limiting their usefulness. He leaves the lesser relievers to pitch more innings. Rafael Soriano was used more than those two combined because the "7th inning guy" was always called on to rescue the 6th inning man too. Soriano took the loss in game 3. Bottom line is: You have the best late inning bullpen in baseball. But that doesn't help if you lose the game earlier on. Robertson and Rivera should be throwing more innings than the other guys. They should also have the ball when it matters most, no matter what the inning. Don't "save them" for save situations which don't come.

Learn from your mistakes, Joe, and do better next year.