Is there any way to win with pitching in this game?

I've tried balanced staffs, heavy money in starting pitching , and bullpen. Latest head scratcher is 24 games into a season and the new "unhittable" Gagne card has already blown 5 saves. I'm about to give up and go back to swinging for the fences.

This is not just a rant. I seriously want to know if anyone knows how to win with pitching. I've long believed that you can't but I still try from time to time. I've done it in 20 team keeper CDrom leagues, but even then only very rarely, and those teams were stacked!

I think it is tough because they ATG teams are so stacked. Maybe at lower caps like 60,70,75 and 80 million.

I've tried balanced staffs, heavy money in starting pitching , and bullpen. Latest head scratcher is 24 games into a season and the new "unhittable" Gagne card has already blown 5 saves. I'm about to give up and go back to swinging for the fences.

This is not just a rant. I seriously want to know if anyone knows how to win with pitching. I've long believed that you can't but I still try from time to time. I've done it in 20 team keeper CDrom leagues, but even then only very rarely, and those teams were stacked!

Rotation of four 20 game winners
http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/1380124

Scumby, yes they all won 20 , but only Tiant had an ERA under 4.

I tried for a dominant staff at $60m, spending 60% of my money on pitching. finished just under 500 as of course the team couldn't score, but still team ERA 3.57, that's the best you can do? I would have thought that staff would have mowed through a $60 league like a hot knife through butter!

I don't know what your expectations are, but Tiant is leading the league in lowest ERA and my staff leads the league overall. Pitching is relative. This is a $140M league.
http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/le ... ams/424076

Scumby, yes they all won 20 , but only Tiant had an ERA under 4.

I tried for a dominant staff at $60m, spending 60% of my money on pitching. finished just under 500 as of course the team couldn't score, but still team ERA 3.57, that's the best you can do? I would have thought that staff would have mowed through a $60 league like a hot knife through butter!

Steve-
What park were you playing in?
that might have a big effect on how low you should be able to get the ERA.

Scumby, yes they all won 20 , but only Tiant had an ERA under 4.

I tried for a dominant staff at $60m, spending 60% of my money on pitching. finished just under 500 as of course the team couldn't score, but still team ERA 3.57, that's the best you can do? I would have thought that staff would have mowed through a $60 league like a hot knife through butter!

Steve-
What park were you playing in?
that might have a big effect on how low you should be able to get the ERA.

It was AT&T 2012. Like I say, I did everything I thought possible to pitch. I may try this again at $60m, I love beating my head against the same wall. And I'm convinced this can't work at $100m, probably not at $80m either

Steve-
Im not seeing AT&T 2012 on the list????
OR is this not in ATG? are you talking 2XXX set?

I often see guys try to win with pitching alone and it hardly ever works if you don't have some good value offense for whatever park you are in.

I often see guys try to win with pitching alone and it hardly ever works if you don't have some good value offense for whatever park you are in.

I agree with Roosky here. Good value offense is the key to winning with pitching. You need to score some runs to help those pitchers and that basically means finding hitters who won't break the bank but can score runs in a small ball park.

I don't want to say any more 'cause I don't want to reveal trade secrets, but I've observed more than one 100 win team built along these lines.