Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2005/team/team_other.html?user_id=34623


What can I do about Rivera's ERA and Whip? I put him SU and Close but it just looks as if all it has done is put him in more often to get hit. He has won 4 but lost 3 and only 9 saves. My bullpen strategy is regular and closer usage is set to normal yet Rivera is losing me games and getting hit. Is it just bad luck? I have put Francisco back to SU and Rivera set only to closer.

I find that Rivera is better as just a closer. The only way I ever use my closer as set up and closer is if I have an R2/C6 and I am playing in Petco with starters that are all S7's. Rivera has great #'s but he will get tired with his R1/C6. Set up could theoretically come in to pitch in the 7th inning. He is no good there. He gets to the 8th & 9th and is tired. A $2-4 million set up man is key to maximizing Rivera's #'s. Almost similar to real life. 8)

That is how I have used him in the past. I asked a question a while back on this forum and the consensus was to use him as both set up and closer despite his R1 status. This was in order to get him more innings as he was hardly used earlier on. What it shows to me is only put a closer as Set up as well if he has a R2/C6 rating. He is now just back to closer.

24 innings in 64 games is hardly overuse..

bad rolls imho.

Agree the low number of innings for the games played is not overuse. But I see 25 K and only 4 walks in 24 inings is good. The 30 hits are a little high but what I would suspect is that he got tired in a few games, got shelled and that ran his overall ERA up. His low save number makes me wonder if he often got brought in as setup, got tired, was replaced by someone else (Francisco with 4 saves?) who then either saved the game or blew the save. Agree with other posters that an R1C6 should only be a closer, not both.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I don't think he has been overused but I think I made the mistake of putting him set up as well. From now on Mariano Rivera is just a Closer!

I'm not happy with his ERA and WHIP on my team as well but he does have 17 saves after 63 games. I have him as closer and Gordon to set up.