My Achilles heel is... (a support group)

[skrody]

let's face it. no game is perfect. in MLB's case, it's pretty darn close. i could sit here and write a huge homer post on why I love the show, but lets keep it to those things that we just cannot seem to get.

for instance.
my achilles heel in this game is a number of things.

1. the slider in the dirt.
2. variable strike zone.
3. the 7, 8, 9 hitters.
4. pitch count/fatigue.
5. comeback logic.

firstly, the slider in the dirt. for the LIFE of me, i cannot seem to hold back on swinging at this bloody pitch. and for this reason i get K'd a lot. when i don't swing at it, the ol variable strike zone makes sure i get punched out. i rarely walk but i can work the count for the most part to 2-2.

when i am pitching, the 7, 8, and 9 hitters always seem to bat 1.000 against me. no matter what i throw at them they seem to foul off 10 pitches and then wind up with a triple. for instance. i was playing the cardinals, and jaime garcia fouled off 8 pitches. the count was 1-2 and i threw a slider wayyyy out of the zone, and he crushed it for a triple.. c'mon man. i've rarely had a pitcher go past 7 innings because by that point i've already thrown 120 pitches.

and lastly comeback logic. no matter how good of a game i play, this seems to be the one thing that gets me. i once threw a backdoor slider (with a lefty pitcher and batter) and said batter pulled it for a 3 run homer... this batter was also a pitcher. not a bloody chance.

SO.
for all you guys who are feeling like me, and those who are masters of the game. lets help each other out here. do you guys have any tips for me, aside from adjusting sliders. and the same goes for you, what gets you.

[seatown27]

My Achilles Heel in this game are the slider low and away, or a fastball high and out of the zone.

[econoodle]

Quote: Originally Posted by skrody

let's face it. no game is perfect. in MLB's case, it's pretty darn close. i could sit here and write a huge homer post on why I love the show, but lets keep it to those things that we just cannot seem to get. for instance. my achilles heel in this game is a number of things. 1. the slider in the dirt. 2. variable strike zone. 3. the 7, 8, 9 hitters. 4. pitch count/fatigue. 5. comeback logic. firstly, the slider in the dirt. for the LIFE of me, i cannot seem to hold back on swinging at this bloody pitch. and for this reason i get K'd a lot. when i don't swing at it, the ol variable strike zone makes sure i get punched out. i rarely walk but i can work the count for the most part to 2-2. when i am pitching, the 7, 8, and 9 hitters always seem to bat 1.000 against me. no matter what i throw at them they seem to foul off 10 pitches and then wind up with a triple. for instance. i was playing the cardinals, and jaime garcia fouled off 8 pitches. the count was 1-2 and i threw a slider wayyyy out of the zone, and he crushed it for a triple.. c'mon man. i've rarely had a pitcher go past 7 innings because by that point i've already thrown 120 pitches. and lastly comeback logic. no matter how good of a game i play, this seems to be the one thing that gets me. i once threw a backdoor slider (with a lefty pitcher and batter) and said batter pulled it for a 3 run homer... this batter was also a pitcher. not a bloody chance. SO. for all you guys who are feeling like me, and those who are masters of the game. lets help each other out here. do you guys have any tips for me, aside from adjusting sliders. and the same goes for you, what gets you.

uh oh. lol

mine is without a doubt the low curve/slider/anything that moves or breaks.

[maddmattrix]

I'm far from a master at this game but two of mine are 1) impatience at the plate because I'm almost always trailing and, 2) the lack of chased pitches by the CPU. How can they lay off a breaking pitch that hits the corner is beyond me - and of course, its called a ball (which I guess goes with your variable strike zone).

[nusie]

My achilles heel is swinging at the first pitch...9 times out of 10, I swing...Even if its a bad pitch...Why? Couldn't tell ya...Just do :-\

[N51_rob]

Quote: Originally Posted by skrody

1. the slider in the dirt. 2. variable strike zone. 3. the 7, 8, 9 hitters. 4. pitch count/fatigue. firstly, the slider in the dirt. for the LIFE of me, i cannot seem to hold back on swinging at this bloody pitch. and for this reason i get K'd a lot. when i don't swing at it, the ol variable strike zone makes sure i get punched out. i rarely walk but i can work the count for the most part to 2-2. when i am pitching, the 7, 8, and 9 hitters always seem to bat 1.000 against me. no matter what i throw at them they seem to foul off 10 pitches and then wind up with a triple. for instance. i was playing the cardinals, and jaime garcia fouled off 8 pitches. the count was 1-2 and i threw a slider wayyyy out of the zone, and he crushed it for a triple.. c'mon man. i've rarely had a pitcher go past 7 innings because by that point i've already thrown 120 pitches.

1.) Turn off check swing appeals, and accept striking out looking. What I mean by that is, sometime you have to take a close pitch, when it is 0-1, 1-2. Those are some of the counts when you will see that slider.

It gives me fits too, but I have taken off check swing appeals (not sim I know) but it allows me to check my swing on that tough pitch and I live to see another one.

2.) Turn it off. Veriable strikes zone drives me crazy too, but I leave it on simply beacuse there are some "bad" umps out there and the game represents that fairly well.

3.) Just keep at it, if you are in the AL understand its not the cake walk it is in the NL. But the numbers even them selves out. Are you playing season, or franchise? I ask because the numbers in exhibition can be a little deceiving. I am playing a test franchise while I wait for the OSFM. It also provides a really nice look at stats over the long haul.

4.) Baseball-Reference says the average innings per start is 5.98 so while your Aces and probably #2 starter should be able to get into the 7th and 8th innings sometimes, you cant really expect your whole staff to be able to do it. In my Nats franchise, Strasburgh rarely goes more than 6 innings, while Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson are my inning eaters. I stretch them out routinely to save my pen. It sounds like your pitching is about average.

[Beefmaster]

I've been thinking about turning off the variable strike zone. It always happens, that once I start to lay off iffy pitches, they will start calling anything close a strike. And the opposite is true when I am pitching. The variable strike zone seems to work more against the user than Ina fair fashion.

[skrody]

Quote: Originally Posted by N51_rob

1.) Turn off check swing appeals, and accept striking out looking. What I mean by that is, sometime you have to take a close pitch, when it is 0-1, 1-2. Those are some of the counts when you will see that slider. It gives me fits too, but I have taken off check swing appeals (not sim I know) but it allows me to check my swing on that tough pitch and I live to see another one. 2.) Turn it off. Veriable strikes zone drives me crazy too, but I leave it on simply beacuse there are some "bad" umps out there and the game represents that fairly well. 3.) Just keep at it, if you are in the AL understand its not the cake walk it is in the NL. But the numbers even them selves out. Are you playing season, or franchise? I ask because the numbers in exhibition can be a little deceiving. I am playing a test franchise while I wait for the OSFM. It also provides a really nice look at stats over the long haul. 4.) Baseball-Reference says the average innings per start is 5.98 so while your Aces and probably #2 starter should be able to get into the 7th and 8th innings sometimes, you cant really expect your whole staff to be able to do it. In my Nats franchise, Strasburgh rarely goes more than 6 innings, while Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson are my inning eaters. I stretch them out routinely to save my pen. It sounds like your pitching is about average.

2. i like keeping it on for the 'human element'. and you're right it represents that fairly well.
3 & 4. i play exhibitions all the time, usually as the ace. but when i don't use the top guys i go to my pen around the 6th.



is it just me but are the slider in the zone, change up, and curveball just meat pitches for the CPU?