Pitching strategy...

Semi rookie online player here with a pitching question. I am in a league starting soon. What is the best strategy when it comes to setting your pitching preference? I have C. Burnes and J. Verlander on my staff.

What is the best option for setting up a "slow hook" or just leave it blank and let HAL take charge of the situation and decision? I know if I were to set them as " slow hook" then they might tire and get hit after the S6 rating. Thanks everyone.

Big Bruce

If I have an excellent pitcher, I set don't relieve before F8. This way he stays in until he starts to tire. With all other pitchers, I leave the don't relieve before setting blank.

I never use slow hook. I don't want to risk a pitcher staying in once he starts to tire. In this game, once a pitcher begins to tire he tires fast! Disclaimer: Other managers might use this setting successfully.

If you checkmark the "dont relieve before F8" ....and lets say with your good pitcher, S6 Verlandr and Burnes....isnt that taking a chance that he will tire in the 7th?....and the F8 will force him into that inning when tired? Or does Hal take over and decide that?

Thanks for your response Coyote.

Those F ratings have nothing to do with the inning itself--It's just a rating of how tired the pitcher is at the moment; you will see it in the game play-by play after each AB (the last thing on each line).

The rating goes from F9 (not tired) to F0 (very tired)--though you don't see the rating go negative--a pitcher still keeps tiring after he reaches F0 too.

A SP can hit F0 in the 1st inning if he gets 5 runs scored off him.

If the pitcher starts to tire, there is a chance the die roll will be altered to something more favorable for the hitter, and the more the pitcher tires, the more likely that die roll will be altered.

Setting the F8 generally means the pitcher will come out immediately when he starts to tire, if you want to push the SP a little you can go with F6 or F4 for example before the SP will be relieved (or a RP that is in the game)--If I have Degrom for instance--I might go with F6 --some take him all the way to F0, just to keep the bullpen from getting tired and have fresh RP for the lesser SP.

Hey thanks milleram for the great info. I had no idea about that. So if I want my stud pitchers to go deep into a game I might choose F1 or F0? If he gets wacked around will HAL take him out before he gets tired at the F1 or F0 mark? Thanks again for the info

If you leave the F settings blank--Hal kind of goes by the situation, though HAL AI can vary greatly.

If you are up 7-0 Hal may let a starting pitcher tire for a few batters--especially if a lot of bullpen pitchers are tired (usually when they have pitched 2 games in a row) or HAL may bring in the sorriest RP you have to try to muddle by with a lead and blow it--You just have to play a few teams with different settings to get the hang of what you want to do.

The most important RP most will agree is the setup man role, but that assumes you have the lead late most of the time, if you have an expensive setup guy setting on the bench because you never have a lead it sucks--you want your best pitchers to get as many innings as possible generally.

There is a lot of help if the strategy section, but most of the advice was before the new pitching Rules that came into effect a couple of years ago and really that thinking has to be altered some--I haven't figured the new AI out yet when it comes to RP, it just keeps flummoxing me.

...The most important RP most will agree is the setup man role, but that assumes you have the lead late most of the time, if you have an expensive setup guy setting on the bench because you never have a lead it sucks--you want your best pitchers to get as many innings as possible generally....

F9 schmet nein. Let Hal manage your starters. As far as RP's go milleram is right. You're best RP's need to get worn to a nubbin.

Middle Man: Enters the game during Innings: 1-6; Leading or trailing by 1-4 runs or tied. This happens a lot!

Set your best RP's for Setup and Middle Man.