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]

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

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

[econoodle]

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

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]

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

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).

[N51_rob]

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

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]

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

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?

[zukes]

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

I will chime in on the pitching to 7,8 & 9 batters and "comeback logic" as you put it, as I feel I am pretty damn good at picthing. I can't help you with hitting as I have a ton of trouble with low balls as well.

- The key is to think your way through the game.

- Take a look back at what you did the last time a certain guy was up. Change it up from there. If you started him with a fastball, or threw lots of fastballs, throw a first pitch change, then breaking balls.

- Don't be afraid to throw two or even three of the same pitch in a row. Doubling or tripling up is the same a mixing it up, nobody is expecting to get three straight fastballs in the same spot. Use this sparingly though as if you fall into a pattern you will get rocked.

- I have found success using my fastball and pitching off of that. Just like in real baseball, the fastball (in most cases) is your best pitch. I throw the fastball 50% or higher and mix in other pitches as needed.

- For the 7, 8 & 9 don't nibble, don't groove it, but throw strikes, these guys are 7, 8 and 9 guys for a reason, change speeds, change location but throw strikes. That is unless you know he is prone to strikeouts

- For guys that are prone to strikeouts like Mark Reynolds, Adam Dunn, Ryan Howard etc., don't be afraid to throw balls out of the zone when ahead in the count. I especially like the high fastball when 0-2 for K's

- Used very sparingly, a hanging curveball or changeup can be an effective strike-out pitch, especially if you have been using the high fastball as noted above a lot. It seems to freeze the batters as they except it to be out of the zone and then it drops in. I don't recommend this early in the game and only if you have been getting a few strikeouts on high fastball as these pitches, if hit, have a tendency to be crushed into the next state (or province in the Jays case)

- All of the above applies even moreso when you get to your bullpen. Especially late. With relivers, they really are only 2 picth pitchers usually, (though the game applies other pitches). I have edited the Jays relievers to their proper pitches based on pitch FX and pitch accordingly. Most, not all, late inning relivers are strike-out guys. That to me means pump the fastball in there early, try to trick the batter when you are up, go back to the fastball in a hard area to get good contact when tied or behind in the count.

- Pitch down. When I look at my pitch locations after the game, I would say 70% of the pitches I throw are in the bottom 3rd of the strike zone or lower. I mix it up to keep batters on their toes, but it's down, down, down for the most part

- You don't have to pitch to the corners only. Pitch to the edge of the strike zone all around. Move to the middle of the strike zone sparingly with your fastball, but enough to make your hardest breaking ball more effective.

Hope that helps.

[jmik58]

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

I like zone hitting... my achilles heel is training my left thumb to be able to move to the corners. Anatomically the thumb doesn't like that movement... it wants to go up or down. I have a heck of a time getting solid contact on inside or outside pitches because the PCI just doesn't make it in where it should.

[skrody]

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

I will chime in on the pitching to 7,8 & 9 batters and "comeback logic" as you put it, as I feel I am pretty damn good at picthing. I can't help you with hitting as I have a ton of trouble with low balls as well.

- The key is to think your way through the game.

- Take a look back at what you did the last time a certain guy was up. Change it up from there. If you started him with a fastball, or threw lots of fastballs, throw a first pitch change, then breaking balls.

- Don't be afraid to throw two or even three of the same pitch in a row. Doubling or tripling up is the same a mixing it up, nobody is expecting to get three straight fastballs in the same spot. Use this sparingly though as if you fall into a pattern you will get rocked.

- I have found success using my fastball and pitching off of that. Just like in real baseball, the fastball (in most cases) is your best pitch. I throw the fastball 50% or higher and mix in other pitches as needed.

- For the 7, 8 & 9 don't nibble, don't groove it, but throw strikes, these guys are 7, 8 and 9 guys for a reason, change speeds, change location but throw strikes. That is unless you know he is prone to strikeouts

- For guys that are prone to strikeouts like Mark Reynolds, Adam Dunn, Ryan Howard etc., don't be afraid to throw balls out of the zone when ahead in the count. I especially like the high fastball when 0-2 for K's

- Used very sparingly, a hanging curveball or changeup can be an effective strike-out pitch, especially if you have been using the high fastball as noted above a lot. It seems to freeze the batters as they except it to be out of the zone and then it drops in. I don't recommend this early in the game and only if you have been getting a few strikeouts on high fastball as these pitches, if hit, have a tendency to be crushed into the next state (or province in the Jays case)

- All of the above applies even moreso when you get to your bullpen. Especially late. With relivers, they really are only 2 picth pitchers usually, (though the game applies other pitches). I have edited the Jays relievers to their proper pitches based on pitch FX and pitch accordingly. Most, not all, late inning relivers are strike-out guys. That to me means pump the fastball in there early, try to trick the batter when you are up, go back to the fastball in a hard area to get good contact when tied or behind in the count.

- Pitch down. When I look at my pitch locations after the game, I would say 70% of the pitches I throw are in the bottom 3rd of the strike zone or lower. I mix it up to keep batters on their toes, but it's down, down, down for the most part

- You don't have to pitch to the corners only. Pitch to the edge of the strike zone all around. Move to the middle of the strike zone sparingly with your fastball, but enough to make your hardest breaking ball more effective.

Hope that helps.

these tips do help me. i dont know if you read the thread about pitching a little while ago, but it too was also helpful.

when i first got the game i was losing and losing big because i stuck to the MLB 11 mentality of fastballs only, corners only. (which was successful for me) and i've literally JUST started to use the cutter because of how effective it is. but you're right mixing it up, changing speeds, eye levels do make a difference in this game.

having said that, i'll still never throw a slider in the zone or a changeup in the zone because of how badly it gets crushed.

[jimmyl008]

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

My weakness (one of many) is hitting with runners in scoring position. If I do manage to get guys on base, I'm never able to string hits together to drive them in. Typically I'll just hit shallow flies, foul outs, or I ground into double plays to end the inning. Tremendously frustrating.

[Armor and Sword]

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

I turned off check swing appeals and my K's were cut down by 30-35%

Yeah yeah not as "sim" but it really is nice to live another day without getting called out on check swing strikes....all the time.

That was my big weakness and I solved it by just turning it off. The game is much better and I made that decision midway through my franchise on the 2011 version.

I am also a sucker for low and away sliders. A great slider will get me sometimes.

[jmik58]

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

I turned off check swing appeals and my K's were cut down by 30-35%

Yeah yeah not as "sim" but it really is nice to live another day without getting called out on check swing strikes....all the time.

That was my big weakness and I solved it by just turning it off. The game is much better and I made that decision midway through my franchise on the 2011 version.

I am also a sucker for low and away sliders. A great slider will get me sometimes.

This was one of the biggest adjustments I made in 2011 as well. I don't really share it with people because I don't think about it, but wow what a difference. Oh, and I still get rung up on check swings except they're not cheap (in my opinion).

[FreAk47]

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

This was one of the biggest adjustments I made in 2011 as well. I don't really share it with people because I don't think about it, but wow what a difference. Oh, and I still get rung up on check swings except they're not cheap (in my opinion).

Totally agree with this. I've always felt the check swing appeals seemed kind of random. There would be times when I knew I over committed on the right stick but it would be called a ball. Then there would be other times where I felt like I barely touched the stick, and it would be called a strike.

Turning it off pretty much eliminates all the bad calls...you still get rung up but its on ones that the home plate umpire rules a swing, and those are usually really obvious.

[shifty_b]

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

I would say my pitching when I am rolling through a game. Once i get into a groove I get lazy with my pitch locations, and the CPU always hits my changeups out of the park.