HAL Screwup?

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/ga ... 267118/931

Here's case of HAL throwing a game away for me. For whatever reason, I've had a problem keeping scrub RP Milo Candini out of ball games all year. Can't seem to do so.

I'm tied for first place with 9 games to go, and I always have scrub Candini set at MAX 1 inning. In this deciding Game, Candini gets through an inning, but is he replaced the next inning? Nope...he comes back and gives up tie run. What does MAXIMUM mean? In my vocab....Candini shouldn't have been back, even if he had a previous 1-2-3 inning.

And this has happened to me more than once.....

It isn't max 1 but max 1-2.

set him to mopup and HAL won't use him unless you're up or down by 5+ runs

Consider looking at the Candini problem from a broader perspective.

1 - It looks like at least three of your 5 starters - Frock, Speer, and Wickware - rarely pitch more than 4-5 innings per start. That stretches the bullpen asking them to pick up 4-5 innings in many games.
2 - HAL generally does not like pitching relievers more than 2 consecutive games - although he will go three. I can't recall seeing the same reliever in more than three straight. All five of your relievers pitched in the previous game and 4 of the 5 pitched in the game before that. Only Brewer had not already pitched in both of the preceding games.
3 - HAL had Brewer pitch to only one batter in the game in question before being pulled - might want to check your settings on Brewer - he might be the one you want to eat up most of your bullpen innings. He doesn't look like he is getting enough to me.
4 - One reliever - Dygert - is probably unavailable because he had pitched in all three of the preceding games.
5 - The tying homerun given up by Candini came on a 2-5 hitter's card role so no pitcher is likely to have influenced that much.

Bottom line - You are asking your bullpen to pitch a lot when Frock, Speer, and Wickware start. This limits availability of your relievers. When Guidry needed the bullpen it was shot, and HAL asked Candini to eat some innings. He tried but got dinged by a hitter's card roll for the tie and then the other two relievers who followed him into the game allowed Candini's walk to become the winning run. I think you are being pretty hard on Candini - he is a bad pitcher being put into bad places - but I am not sure HAL is as much the culprit as you think.

Consider letting Frock, Speer and Wickware to work longer into their games - Do you have them set to quick hook now?
Consider setting Brewer to pitch more relief innings. You don't really have a super reliever - Brewer is your best.
Looks like you are running a roster value about 5M less than the 80M cap due to drops during the season - sounds like that 5M may have been a better investment in the bullpen given the need with 3 quick hook starters.

Just another way of looking at the issue.

Thanks for replys-very astute.

I thought it was 1 MAX...wrong on that one.



Candini was picked up after making changes during season. Good point about letting the other SP go longer.
I try to get Brewer as much work as possible- but dont understand why Brewer would be replaced after only 1 batter, for Candini in that situation. I'll have to see if Brewer pitched much the previous game.
Candini wasn't listed at all in the preferences that game. I usually put one of my good RP in the Mopup role on this team since the SP is weak in spots. I find that Mopup ends up active, often, due to high scoring games.

I liked the days when you could click both L/R and basically bench a bad P.

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/ga ... 267118/946

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/game/267118/952

Milo loses two more games...and look at the last line...1 inning, 6 runs, 5 walks...All on Short Hook....season over...The Milo Nightmare...

I sympathize with your Candini disaster. But looks like you still have a chance to sweep the final three games and make the playoffs.

I try to get Brewer as much work as possible- but don't understand why Brewer would be replaced after only 1 batter, for Candini in that situation. I'll have to see if Brewer pitched much the previous game.

I may be wrong, but I don't think it matters to HAL how much a pitcher threw in the previous game. He seems to count games pitched rather than innings or batters. So 1/3 of an inning for two games straight will tend to force a pitcher out for the next or to come in at F4 or F0. Since Brewer did not pitch in game 159 he should be able to pitch in at least 2 of the last 3 games - set him to go as long as possible and cross your fingers you don't see Candini again.

A sweep is possible...yes. But what does "quick hook" mean?

What practical interpretation HAL places on quick hook I do not know. But I think from past experience if you want HAL to honor quick hook on relievers you need to have a deep bullpen so there are lots of choices. Try to get by with a 3 man bullpen and I suspect more often than not HAL just laughs at upper management.

This is Candini on Quick Hook:

SUBSTITUTION at P: Milo Candini
SUBSTITUTION at PH: Roy Hartzell
0 2 R.Hartzell 1-3 Walk b-1 F9
0 12 H.Myers 6-6 Fly Out (LF) b-0 F9
1 12 L.Bowa 1-6 Single (CF) 2-3 1-2 b-1 F9
1 123 S.Crawford 5-5 Double (CF) 3-H 2-H 1-H b-2 F9
1 2 H.Reynolds 6-7 Ground Out (2B) 2-3 b-0 gb(2B)x F9
2 3 I.Suzuki Int Walk b-1 F9
2 1 3 R.Ramirez 5-6 Walk 1-2 b-1 F9
2 123 C.Seymour 5-9 Walk 3-H 2-3 1-2 b-1 F9
2 123 I.Thomas Wild Pitch 3-H 2-3 1-2 F9
2 23 I.Thomas Int Walk b-1 F9
2 123 R.Hartzell 3-7 Single (RF) 3-H 2-H 1-2 b-1 F9
2 12 H.Myers 3-5 Fly Out (LF) b-0 F9