Don't relieve B4 Vs. Qk/Slo VS. HAL

I've only been doing this for a few months and still haven't figured out a few things. One is how HAL manages rotation/bullpen usage with regards to fatigue/pull settings. I've had starters set to don't relieve before F8 with no QK/SLO set and had them pulled in the second inning well before F8. They were getting hit but assuming that everything depends on the next roll (chance) and not the algorithms mental state or physical fitness that day why is HAL pulling him so early?

Also, my preference is to set good starters to F8 and QK so that as soon as they reach F8 they'll be taken out, but I've had those starters stay in games until as much as F0 and lose games because HAL didn't follow my instructions.

So, would I be better off not setting any of these and taking my chances on a starter getting pulled too early or too late instead of trying to manage how HAL uses pitchers and potentially making it worse? Is HAL looking at my QK/SLO when I want him to look at F8, and vice versa? Should I only use these settings separately and not use both together?


One other things, what is the preferable setting to keep your best relievers in the game longer and worst relievers shorter? I generally set poor relievers to QK and the best to F8 or F8/SLO. This generally tends to work how I want but occasionally I'll end up with good ones getting pulled sooner than they should be or poor ones staying in too long. Is this just HAL following matchups without regard to the settings? Is there a way to get around this or do I just live with it?

Lots of questions here but to boil it down.... I'm just looking for the best settings that work well in most situations and I'd like to know if I'm doing something wrong or if it's just my expectations that need adjustment. Thanks in advance!

TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT SETTINGS
From our point of view: Simply, we look at the settings as, "This is what I want to happen, everytime." So we add settings and change settings and tell HAL to make it all work out everytime (even though it doesn't all "work out" in real baseball either) and then get mad when every order we've given isn't followed.

From HAL'S point of view: Too many settings paint HAL into a corner, making him choose between quite a few options, many of them often contradictory. For instance, if I have a .99 LH reliever who I want to only face 1 or 2 lefty hitters, a .97 RH reliever who I only want to face 1 or 2 Righty batters, a 1.13 reliever who I only want to pitch in Mopup situations, a 2.75m Setup man and a 4m reliever I have set to Maximize Closer, I have given HAL the dichotomy of a lot of instructions but often not a lot of "choices". You don't even want to know what a good, long extra-inning game will do to your pitching staff

I only use Don't Relieve before F8 or whatever with a super stud SP. Otherwise, in general I minimize my "instructions" to HAL in order to give him more choices when the game doesn't run according to plan.

I am fairly new at this also--started in April with my first online team--others certainly have more experience and better advise, but here's my take after a few teams.

I had horrible issues like you also--and my bullpen was being overused--I only had 1 guy with rest, and sometimes no one rested--I was getting killed in the 6th to 8th innings.

If you use an F rating on a starter --also use quick hook would be my advise--I have tried the no hook setting too, and I think hal generally ignores F ratings if the "hook" is not checked either fast or slow.

Though some of the more experienced managers says don't use F ratings, I have found that I have to just to keep the relief pitchers fresh--especially with 10 man staffs--a reliever can go two games in a row, if he comes into a 3rd consecutive game, he will come in tired "F0"--sometimes it is forced due to everyone pitching two consecutive games--like a long extra inning game can do.

I sometimes set cheap starters with F8 and quick hook, especially if the previous series I have used my best relievers the last two games and the cheap guy is the next starter--but don't set an F rating if you want to remove them after 6 or 7 innings--the F rating will override the pull after 6 check.

I actually think F ratings are better used with relievers--to keep them in the game an extra inning--a 2 inning reliever (a good one - 2.5M and up as a setup or middleman) is generally better than the starters--you can set them to F6 and get 3 innings regularly and sometimes four--and they can close games without your closer being used as they haven't hit the fatigue point yet (set closers to regular, not maximize if you want to do this) if they get through the end of the game now you know your closer is fresh for at least two in a row.

On your starters being pulled early.

Starters will be pulled if they give up 5 runs in an inning, and sometimes in two consecutive innings regardless of your settings---This is an extra fatigue rule and has been in place a while.

I guess my question would be that if starters are pulled off they give up 5 runs in an inning is that indicitive of something other than chance..... ie. do they just not have it that day, are they somehow fatigued or its it something that happens randomly in the game engine to simulate a real life starter (every now and then someone had a bad day not related to chance)? Our is it just HAL'S way of keeping it realistic?

I do believe that the cdrom and thus the online has a hidden feature for simulating a starting pitcher "not having it" on a particular day from time to time. But I have no proof so take that as seriously as you like.