Post poor in-game relief decisions here, Part II

[Semper Gumby]

YountFan,

I [b:473faa493d]actually complain more when my team wins[/b:473faa493d] as I often see my SPs getting pulled early in the game. I want my RPs to be used for my non-Clemens, Higgie, and Orel type pitchers. I want them available to toss those two games per series instead of gassing out on 1 inning outings for Clemens' best card.

I want to avoid the liabilities associated with suspected unbalanced cards and not misread / use my $.75m Kipper card when it is his very off year.

I have two dozen or so examples where HAL doesn't pull the starter and the SP completes the game (3 run lead and less) as well as starters who should be pulled and take it on the chin.

In the same series:

[b:473faa493d]Orel pitches 9 innings and takes the loss[/b:473faa493d]
http://members.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=12743&g_id=959

[b:473faa493d]Morris pitches 9 innings and takes the loss[/b:473faa493d]
http://members.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=12743&g_id=965

[b:473faa493d]Anderson pitches a great 7 innings and almost has the game tossed by Gossage[/b:473faa493d] (who is listed as the closer - conservative settings)
http://members.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=12743&g_id=971

While Anderson's relief isn't troublesome, Morris and Orel should have been relieved under Bernie's earlier explanation, right?


My complaint has been and still is - [b:473faa493d]HAL degrades or ignores the pitching strategy settings and the individual settings[/b:473faa493d] when it comes to starters' relief.

IF I have my strategic relief settings established for [b:473faa493d]conservative relief[/b:473faa493d] / [b:473faa493d]regular closer rules[/b:473faa493d], and [b:473faa493d]no set-up man[/b:473faa493d] as well as my individual card settings invoked for [b:473faa493d]slow hook[/b:473faa493d], why can't I expect to see my better starters tossing up 300 innings per season each?

What makes the 80s version harder to handicap is we don't know the cards (some we do). So, I wonder if Fat Fernando's S8 rating is his average POW equivalent and not is standard setting for all the seasons regardless if his actual card had it? In other words, Fat Fernando's bad year might be a S6 and not S8.

What I suspect is TSN's game engine [b:473faa493d]may be[/b:473faa493d] using (among other CD-ROM settings) is "[u:473faa493d]try to control over-usage[/u:473faa493d]" invoked so HAL [b:473faa493d]may[/b:473faa493d] seek to control the amount of playing time a player works. So, HAL is sensistive to usage (innings pitched). While I missed a whole year due to my second Iraq deployment, I wonder if the logic became altered when TSN implemented the RP fatigue function so owners couldn't pitch Eric Gagne for 200 plus innings. :roll:

While you can get McGwire or Mitchell to hit 70 plus HRs on their better cards and in the right park, we rarely see Clemens' best card completing 30 games per season. Heck, I have had a few top $$$ 80s SPs' best card in a pitching park and didn't have more than 10 or so complete games.

Under normal or typical settings, HAL makes his relief judgements as we've all know, e.g., established set-up and closer are implemented (presuming not fatigued) when the starter is "fatigued" and reaches the appropriate inning.

However, I want to retard those "switches" and rely on my starters to pitch like in the deadball era especially when I invest in Clemens' and Orel's cards in Dodger or the Astrodome.

If I can't use the switches on the manager strategy and individual settins to get more innings out of my starters, what is to think I can limit their exposure by invoking more aggressive relief settings?

Oddly, I've noticed the likes of Eck and a few other relievers tossing 4 inning outings and pitching another 2 inning outing in the same series.

If I can't get Orel to pitch one more inning above his S8 rating when he hasn't been touched with a bat, how can I accept Eck tossing 6 innings in one series?

Something has to be wrong, right?

[YountFan]

They need a "Never Relieve for" setting

[Semper Gumby]

HAL pulls Higgie with 2 run lead in the 9th inning (allowed just 1 earned run)

http://members.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/league/boxscore.html?group_id=12923&g_id=722


But allows Fat Fernando to finish out the game despite yielding 17 hits :shock:
http://members.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/league/boxscore.html?group_id=12923&g_id=734

Of course, Fernando also enjoyed a 8 run lead :?

[YountFan]

My suggestion is on the per game starter page to add two addition fields. They would overide the Manager setting

Closer Usage
Relief Usage


You could set Closer Usage and Relief usage to VERY Conserve. for guys like Clemons. Then HAL would only relieve if he was getitng hammered. You could set it to agressive for other pitchers like Ken Schrom.

[Semper Gumby]

YF,

You would expect setting your manager strategy to:

[list:d5493275fe]Conservative relief
Regular / Normal Closer [/list:u:d5493275fe]

And, your individual cards to:

[list:d5493275fe]Slow Hook
Avoid Before 8th / 9th innings
IBB Less[/list:u:d5493275fe]

Would be enough to get that "Deadball Era" feel to your team.

I still suspect the game logic tries to keep the IPs down and becomes very sensitive around the 7th inning to starters going the distance when their actual years don't show massive IPs.

If we can get huge production out Morrison in Kingdom and Murphy, why can't Clemens and his ilk pitch like barnstormers from the 1900s?

I felt the same about the power outage on batters in 2003 as I do about starters getting pulled earlier and often.

[YountFan]

Regular / Normal Close

That need a Conservtive Closer setting

[YountFan]

[quote:81b6bd5302]If we can get huge production out Morrison in Kingdom and Murphy, why can't Clemens and his ilk pitch like barnstormers from the 1900s? [/quote:81b6bd5302]
Because the game is geared towards hitting and it is easier to use Morrison abnornally than Clemens. I'm sure you can get 300 IP out of Caldwell if you tried hard enough.

[Semper Gumby]

YF,

I'm watching Clemens' best year (19-6 - 25 games pitched) in one of my leagues (not my team).

At his current rate, he should pitch 41 games and toss more than 340 innings. It will be fun to see how many games he completes. If you had the Rocket, you'd want him pitching 9 complete almost everyone outing. If capable, you'd have your stud relievers available for every series the Rocket pitched.

Ironically, despite getting Mike Scott's best card on a great pitching squad, Mike only garnished:

18 complete games in 40 games
25-13 record
2.92 ERA / .92 WHIP
314 innings with 327 SOs

Even on my solid pitching team, Scott only averaged ~.5 innings more per outing than he did in his Cy Young season. :roll:

[YountFan]

41x9 = 369
41x8=328
41x7-287

You are getting very high use out of the Rocket. If you're getting clode to 8 IP ger start on average that is excellent. Considering he'll have one or two 3 IP games.

[Semper Gumby]

Bernie,

The recap tells the whole story:

[quote:47a5dcd28b]Moose Haas carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning and designated hitter Jack Clark had 2 base hits and 2 RBI at Dodger Stadium where the Cleveland Devil Dogs beat the Go Badgers by the score of 8 to 5.

Steve Bedrosian(1-2) was called upon to do the job and he was the winning pitcher. He went 2 and 1/3 innings allowing 4 hits and no walks. The right-handed Haas lost his no-hit bid when Ken Oberkfell singled with two outs in the 6th inning. The game was a scoreless duel until the 6th inning.[/quote:47a5dcd28b]
So, what does HAL do?

http://members.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/league/boxscore.html?group_id=13185&g_id=368

He pulls Moose and inserts Bedrock (mop-up and don't pitch until the house burns down).

My settings are normal relief / regular closer

Bedrock is set as my mop-up / quick hook / avoid before 9th inning.

Moose is set for IBB less only. However, he has a sub .90 WHIP over his 23 innings of pitching.

I would have let Moose pitch until the 8th inning and used Hernandez to close out the game. All my RPs were available.