reached another playoffs and everytime i do we seem to mess up a bit... any pointers, tips, things to know?

Just win, baby

Very good advice I had gotten:

If you can do it, go with a three man rotation. You can then shorten your staff so you can get a good pinch hitter or glove in there. Players also don't need rest so you can turn that off.

Adjust your roster composition - you won't need as many pitchers, so now you do you have room for batting, fielding, or pinch running specialists if you have those types on your 40 man.
Also, adjust pitch counts and pull ratings for your staff.

Just to add to what's been said, you can probably go with 8 pitchers in a 5 game and 9 in a 7 game. Don't carry a guy you don't want to pitch. If you don't have 8 you want pitching, set those you don't want throwing as LRB or SUB. I generally add 2 extra defenders(a defensive C if I don't already have one and a multi-purpose guy). Then I'll add a power bat, one of those 23/93/41/52/70 guys, and, if I still have a spot, a baserunning threat.

MikeT, with the extra players that you add, how do you adjust settings to maximize their usage?

I've found it useful to take the time and actually adjust each player's individual settings. That is, if I have an 85/80 SPD/BR guy, I don't want him Pinch-ran for. So I uncheck that box. So on and so forth, same with defensive ratings. I clear them all and manually select who I'd actually want at each position as a true defensive upgrade.

Are the recommended pitch counts like lowered, raised? So if I have a P with a STA of 81 I had him on 100/120... Should that be changed? What do you do to maximize the pitching?

Posted by CamdenGhost on 9/27/2016 6:04:00 PM (view original):
MikeT, with the extra players that you add, how do you adjust settings to maximize their usage?

I don't change much with the settings. I redo defensive replacements to make sure my D guys are first options, and, because playoff games are generally closer, I change d-rep to 8th inning, 1 run. But, to be honest, it has bitten me in the *** a time or two with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 8th.

I set pinch-hitting individually. Meaning I don't hit recs. If I bring up a power bat, I want him hitting late/close. I make sure he's properly slotted.

And, of course, I remove rest options. Rest when eliminated.

Posted by VictorV17 on 9/27/2016 9:36:00 PM (view original):
Are the recommended pitch counts like lowered, raised? So if I have a P with a STA of 81 I had him on 100/120... Should that be changed? What do you do to maximize the pitching?

I don't mess with PC. I lower pull ratings because I've shortened my staff. I can't burn thru my whole bullpen in one game.

should i roll a ClA? i know some people go without a closer...

I never use a closer. If I have specific RP I want pitching late, I set his availability inning as 8th.

do you set availabilities for all Ps?

Yes. It's pretty standard though. LR are any, short RP are 6 and, if I use the pseudo-closer, he's at 8. Every now and then I'll have one of the RP at 7 but it's usually one of those 10-15 pitch guys. I don't carry them very often unless they're just lights out.