Post poor in-game relief decisions here, Part II

[egvrich]

Bernie,

Not an in game questions, more of a general question on the same matter.

How can my closer have ZERO innings on this team 9 games into the season?

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg2/team/team_other.html?user_id=111808

Closer usage is set at Regular
McMahon is set to close both ways
Do not use during blowout
Do not use before 8th inning

[MICHAELEVANS]

Bernie, I shouldn't complain because I won the game last night and advanced to the finals, but the logic was so bizzare that I would like an explanation:

ATG II
Houston Senators 22
[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg2/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=30920&g_id=981[/url]
What happened - Semi-final game 5. Koufax is my starting pitcher. It is the bottom of the 7th, a scoreless tie. There are two outs, runners on 1st and 3rd, and the pitcher (who bats right) is up. Koufax is throwing a shutout, has given up only 5 hits and has 9 strikeouts so far. HAL removes Koufax and brings in H. Pina, who gets the pitcher out. I don't agree with pulling a stud like Koufax in the clinching game of a semi-finals when he is facing the pitcher with 2 out. Then, HAL leaves in Pina, who is set to avoid lefties, for 2 more innings, facing left-handed hitters, Morgan and Matthews. To add insult to injury, in the top of the 8th, Pina is the first batter and HAL does not pinch hit for him, even though it is a scoreless game.

As I said, I shouldn't complain. My team won it in the top of the 9th, and Pina did not give up a hit in his 2 1/3 innings. I would just like the logic explained of why HAL would remove Koufax when facing the opposing pitcher with two outs in such a crucial game.

I think the best think would have been to leave Koufax in, and let the game run its course. If Koufax gave up some more hits in the 8th or the 9th, then go ahead and remove him, but put in either Henke or Richert. I understand that Pina was more rested than they were, because Richert had thrown 3 innings the game before, and Henke had thrown 1 2/3 the game before, but I don't think either one would have been fatigued, and Koufax certainly wasn't fatigued.

[bernieh]

Congratulations on your dramatic win.

This is a standard example of the "starter being pulled too early" problem. My planned solution would definitively prevent this.

As for why Pina faced Morgan even though you've set him to "Avoid lefties" - I'm not entirely sure what my logs are telling me but it looks like it had something to do with your setting Pete Richert to be both your Setup Man and Closer, which I personally don't recommend. Unfortunately, I don't have a clear reason why, yet. I hope to figure it out soon.

Thanks for your submission.

[mridge01]

Why in the world would Steve Carlton come in to close out this game? Granted it was a 13 inning game, but I had only used two relievers so far.

[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg2/league/boxscore.html?group_id=32116&g_id=194[/url]

[Bunze0]

bernie why did hal leave my lefty closer on the bench in bottom 9 with opponet having 3 leftys coming up????
http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg2/league/boxscore.html?group_id=33692&g_id=12

[uvm87]

Bernie, I've have rarely questioned the pitching moves made, but last night Game 5 of semis and HAL pulls this, is just not fair.

[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg2/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=32474&g_id=982[/url]

Game: ATG II
Team Name: Nectar's Fries and Gravy

Situation: [b:feeedfc66c]Game 5 semi-finals[/b:feeedfc66c]
- set up - Beggs vs both R and L
- closer - Richert vs both R and L

Up 1 run in top of the 7th 2 outs, Key is pulled for pinch hitter Templeton. Key has no settings checked, bullpen is set regular for set up and maximize closer. Key has pitched only 6 inn thus far, so he's not tired. Templeton is NOT set as PH, he is my PR. Wera is set to PH vs LHP and Dahlgren vs RHP. Lown was the pitcher in the game, so Dahlgren should have come up.

HAL chooses Hallahan to pitch. His settings are:
avoid LH, avoid RH, quick hook, mop up, max 6 IP for start.

Beggs, Miller, Patterson, Vance all pitched in games 3 and 4, but Richert only pitched in game 4.

7th inning Hallahan gets out with no problems, top of 8th I score 1 more run. It is a save situation up by 2 runs.


*** BOTTOM OF INNING 8 ***
0 S.Rice 3 Single b-1
0 1 R.Yount 3 Single 1-2 b-1
0 12 B.Meusel 7 Triple 2-H 1-H b-3
0 3 A.Dawson 4 Walk b-1
0 1 3 1 Stolen Base 1-2
0 23 P.Rose 4 Fielders Choice 3-o 2-3 b-1
1 1 3 C.Cooper 5 Ground Out 1-2 b-0
2 23 Z.Taylor 2 Single 3-H 2-H b-1
SUBSTITUTE PH- Buck Weaver
2 1 B.Weaver 4 Walk 1-2 b-1
2 12 E.Collins 1 Ground Out b-0

4 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Richert doesn't even come into the game . He pitched 2 innings other times during the season, why not now? With Hallahan set to quick hook, why wasn't he pulled in a save situation after the 2 singles. You should NEVER lose a playoff series because HAL decides to keep your top closer on the bench. This was totally unfair!

[Millercorps]

Just a comment Bernie, but some pitchers are still better tired than the alternatives. If we set someone to be our closer than HAL should bring in our closer. If we want to tire out our pitchers than let us. These kinds of things happen to me all the time but I never remember to post them.

It's not pitching but the same thing happens with my PHers too. I'll have a guy that should bat .400+ against lefties, check to avoid righties and most of his at bats will be against righties. I never do that in the board game or the PC game. What does HAL do this? I have no interest in equality in this game. I'm not concerned if one of my bench guys has 5 AB for the season. If he's set up to only PH vs. lefties than that's all I want him to face. I don't want to make sure all my guys have 50 ABs so their egos don't get wounded.

Please Bernie, fix this madness... Also, let us play Babe Ruth at catcher if we want. Or any player at any position.

Thanks Bernie, you still rock!!

[uvm87]

Bernie, are you going to look at this? I know you're busy getting ATGIII going, but I feel I got screwed here.

[MICHAELEVANS]

Bernie, I really, really want to know what happened in this game last night. It was Game 5 of the semi-finals. I had Pete Alexander pitching. He had his full 3 days rest so he was not fatigued. He had pitched 6 innings (101 pitch count, which for Pete is not a lot), given up just 4 hits and 1 run and we are tied 1-1. In the bottom of the 6th, to lead off the inning, HAL pinch hits for Pete with Ozzie Bluege, of all people.

First of all, why pinch hit with a 1-1 tie in the frigging 6th inning of the final game of the semi-finals with no runners on base??? I maybe could understand it if there were runners in scoring position and you had a chance to break the game open, but to pinch hit for the game's premier pitcher to lead off an inning when Pete easily could have pitched another couple of innings.... I also don't understand why HAL brought in Hallahan, a mediocre reliever, when others, including Quisenberry, were fairly rested.

Here is the box score for the game. I am the Senators 26

[url=http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/atg2/playoffs/boxscore.html?group_id=32551&g_id=982]I could'a been a contender[/url]

[uvm87]

I think I get it now! HAL screwed me over, too, using HAL-lahan to pitch the 8th and blow the final game of the semis, when Richert could have come in for the save.

The solution is to not get HAL-lahan on your team. On the other hand Roy HAL-laday is probably a super stud. :D

Bernie, I know you're very busy, but were you able to look at my complaint?