Best way to set up a Bullpen??

[ANDYCOCHRANE]

What methods do you guys use when setting up your relievers? I usually have a good closer, a set up man, then 3 other relievers, such as Brower, Cotts, Adams, Hard R or L pitchers. The problem is that I don't really know the best way to set up their cards. I usually put the hard R/L pitchers on max 1-2 inns and avoid their weaker side. With my Closer,( Rivera, Gagne, Izzy, Hoffman), I usually put avoid before 8th. SU man left avoid before 7th. Do you think this is sensible or should I change things? I basically want to get to my SU and Closer without losing the game with my L/R specialists.

Can anyone give any good pointers??

[1crazycanuk]

I pretty much do the same thing as you only I put my set up man to "avoid using before 6th inning". I try to have one of the best closers I can get and do what someone advised me not too long ago. Set him for "avoid using before 8th inning" but don't put him in as "closer" in manager settings. Put your other relievers to the settings you want the way you are doing and put all or most of them as "mop up". I do this and Gordon and Rivera get the bulk of the innings.

[teepack]

I usually get one stud closer (like Wagner or Lidge) and select him to slow hook and avoid using before seventh inning. I usually like to spend money ($3-4 million) on a balanced set-up guy and usually click slow hook and max 2-3 innings. My goal is for him to be the first reliever in, so I click all my others guys to avoid using before 6th inning or later. My goal is for those two guys (closer and set-up) to get at least 50-55 percent of my relief innings.

I then try to get some specialists with my other guys and mix and match them based on my opponents' lineups. I usually have all those guys clicked to quick hook, max 1-2 innings and avoid one side or the other, if needed.

[MARCPELLETIER]

It entirely depends on how many innings I expect from my bullpen.

If I have cheap SPs and I am playing in Coors, then I need a whole lot of innings, and hence I need to buy at least two stud relievers, and possibly another high-value reliever, plus a couple of innings eater. If however I play in Petco and I have RJ and Santana, then I only need at most one very good closer.

[ANDYCOCHRANE]

I have taken some of the above advice and now taken Rivera and Izzy out of the closer roles on their teams, leaving the seting blank. I still have my SU men as set up vs L and R. I hope this means both Izzy and Rivera get the majority of saves and plenty of innings, rather than my weaker hard Land R relievers.