Pitching Roles

Starting Pitchers (SP)

The starting pitcher is the initial pitcher you willhave useslotted to start in the game. Ideally, theythe SP will pitch all nine innings flawlessly and you will win.

YouWhen you set your pitching rotation (see below), you will assign five starting pitchers to your line-up in slots SP1 through SP5. AOnly singleone starter is used per game. ThroughAs the regular season progresses, each starter slot (SP1-SP5) is used a total of 32 times. Pitchers assigned to the starter role are not used in a game unless they wereare the assigned starter for that game.

What'sWhat is a rotation?Rotation?

The order in which the starting pitchers are used in is also describedknown as a rotation. The default line-up used by CSFBL is the common 5-man rotation. In Eachthis format, each pitcher receives at least four days of rest between starts.

Some teamsowners prefer to use a 4-man rotationrotation. This can easily be achieved by periodicallyclicking shiftingon theirthe pitchers‘Manager’ fromlink oneon startingyour slotteam page and changing the setting in the ‘5-Man or 4-Man Pitching Rotation?’ drop down list. (Note: remember to another.click Eachthe ‘Save Changes’ button before leaving the page, or no change will be made) In a 4-man rotation, each starter pitches every fourth game, with three days of rest between starts. There is currently no way to automatically do this, a manager needs to shift the pitchers manually from slot to slot periodically to achieve this.

During the playoffsplayoffs, many teams shift to a 3-man rotation. This isstrategy aensures system wherethat only three starting pitchers (usually your best 3) are used. BetweenTo gamesaccomplish this, the manager ismust shiftingshift his pitchers sobetween asgames to make them available to start again;again i.e.on a few days of rest. For example; after the first game is played the manager willwould shiftmove the starting pitcher from Game 1 (SP1)(SP1 slot) to pitchthe SP4 slot so he will be the starting pitcher in Game 4 (SP4).4. This rotation scheme only works well in the playoffs due to the rest days in,in between games and between,between every series.

In a consistently run 4-man or 3-man rotationrotation, there aresome pitchers that will never be used. Before they get the opportunity to start a game they will be shifted by the owner to another starting slot and thusskipped skipped.in the rotation.

Who shouldShould I useUse as a startingStarting pitcher?Pitcher?

Your better pitchers are generally used as starters. They will pitch the majority of innings for your team. Endurance (EN) is more valuable for starters than relievers since (hopefully) they will (hopefully) pitch a lot of innings. High Endurance will allow a pitcher to throw more pitches before suffering from fatigue. Starting pitchers also need to be quality pitchers inif orderthey are going to get batters out, and thustherefore the other ratings (PO, FI, CO, SY) are also very important. These ratings are described in the Player section along with examples of what they affect.

The Bullpen

The bullpenBullpen is the general name covering all the non-starters. They fulfill a variety of roles and have specific usages.uses. Whereas a starter is only expected to pitch every fourth or fifth gamegame, a relief pitcher can be called on at any time; i.e. multiple games in a row.

Relief pitchers in general can have lower Endurance than starters. However, good EN for a reliever is often valuable for recovering between games. The Qualitypitching ratings of relief pitchers might be less than starters, but quality relief pitchers are valuable, especially in certain roles.

All of the reliever roles will get some use.playing time. In the current game engineengine, none of them can be completely ignored. A good closerCloser (CL) is probably the most valuable, but quality relievers in the other slots can be useful for maintaining leads, or keeping a game fairly close while waiting for the offense to come aroundcontribute and score some runs.

Closer (CL)

AThe roleCloser position is best for a good pitcher who might not have great EN. The closerCL is used in the late innings of close games, usually when your team in clinging to a narrow lead. You want him to come in, get outs, and finish (close) the game. A closerCL won'twill not pitch a lot of innings, but they will be valuable innings. How often your closerCL is used is directly related to the user-defined manager's‘Manager’s tendency,Tendencies’, Always use closer in save situation.situation?. If this option is turned on, your closerCL will be brought in to finish up nearly every game in which you are leading by about three or less runs.

Set-up (SU)

A bullpen has two set-up men. They are usually used in the 7th and 8th inning in fairly close games. They "set-up" the win, bridging the gap between your starter and your closer. Set-up men get used situationallyvarious situations even more than middle relievers, and often pitch fewer innings. This is a good place to consider keeping a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.

Middle Relief (MR)

A bullpen has two middle relievers. They are typically used in the middle to late innings when your team is ahead or behind by a more than few runs,runs. They andare also in situations when a starter has faltered and there is a need for a situational pitcher change; i.e. changing from a right-right-handed to a left-handed pitcher to face a left-handed batter. Situational use is one reason to consider having one left-handed and one right-handed middle reliever.

Long Relief (LR)

The long reliever comes in when a starting pitcher falters early. This role might not draw your best reliever, but if this pitcher is effective in preventing further scoring by the oppositionopposition, maybe your offense can get you back into the game. This pitcher also tends to pop up at odd points; extra inningextra-inning games and situations where you'veyou have already used your other pitchers up.pitchers. Long relief is a good role for young, unproven talent

Righty/Lefty MatchupsMatch-ups

In the two-pitcher roles the batter/pitcher matchupmatch-up is compared before deciding which pitcher to bring in to the game. As a result, it is often very effective to puthave aboth righty and lefty pitcherpitchers in these roles, as the more effective pitcher will often be brought in to pitch. Other factors come in tointo play but having a righty/lefty combination in the bullpen is an effective way to manage your team.