I know there are good reasons for the mop-up to come in when he does. I have one team right now where the mop-up has come in several times when I'm winning and have plenty of relievers rested and available. I have racked my brain trying to figure out what settings I've messed up and I can't find any. Here's the most recent example:

1. SP comes out after 4 innings and I'm up 7-5.
2. Several relievers on bench, including 1918 Fred Toney who is very well rested. In fact, Sparky doesn't pitch him enough (only 40 IP through 94 games).
3. Sparky puts in my mop-up, Heath Hembree, instead. As you might expect, Hembree gives up 18 runs and I get crushed.

All my relievers are marked RH Specialist or LH Specialist with the exception of the mop-up. The box is checked to use the mop-up only when losing. Toney is at 100% and last pitched 21 games ago (I can't figure out why he is not pitching).

In the advanced settings, Toney's is checked for relief, has an auto rest of 90%, and inning available is any.

This one has me stumped.

There are some macro settings that regulate how often certain roles should be used. If you're only using one role other than mop up, you might try to increase the usage rate. Can't say for certain that will help but it might

IMO, these "macro" settings are flawed anyways. We shouldn't have to "game the system" to keep arms from coming in or vice-versa. I'm of the belief that the "macro" settings relegate LHS and RHS to the bottom of the entry choices. IF ANY pitcher is set at any other setting than LHS or RHS, that Pitcher will enter the game 1st. Even in a late game scenario, IF there's an arm marked (say) Long A, that pitcher will come in to the game INSTEAD of your LHS or RHS arms. Same thing with ANY pitcher set as a set-up...........that arm will enter before the specialist. I don't like this and have been trying to figure out a way to defeat the "macro" settings better. However, IF I set EVERY arm in the pen to LHS or RHS, then Sparky will leave the starter in too long----clear to his max pitch count setting, rather than going to the pen as Sparky would IF an arm had been designated other than LHS or RHS. In other words, "Sparky" doesn't like going from the starter directly to a LHS or RHS----------- you have to force "Sparky" to do that by NOT designating other bullpen roles.

For example, IF you have a Long man designated---in my experience----Sparky will NOT bring in your LHS or RHS until AFTER the Long guy has been used. Thus, even in the 7th or 8th inning, Sparky will roll out the Long man rather than the LHS or RHS to get to your closer. Sparky just won't use a specialist unless He has to!!

I think this is crazy.

RH/LH specialist and Setup won't be brought in before the sixth inning unless there's no other option. That's why the mop-up is coming in.

WHY is this so?? Is a matchup specialist not needed until (at least) the 6th?? This is crazy (flawed). OLD fashioned logic. It needs fixed!!

Posted by 06gsp on 7/15/2021 9:00:00 AM (view original):
RH/LH specialist and Setup won't be brought in before the sixth inning unless there's no other option. That's why the mop-up is coming in.

This is only true if your Advanced settings say so. I use LH/RH specialists and have all to be available in the 4th and they will come in as needed.

Thats likely why DC is having these issues because the RP's are set to be available in 6th or 7th inning.

He said his relievers are set to be available in any inning. This has also been my experience with using RH/LH specialists and setting them to be available in any inning.

I guess the conclusion is Sparky treats "Inning Available: Any" to mean the sixth inning for Set Up and LH/RH Specialist. That is certainly non-intuitive.

Plus I don't think Sparky will EVER put in a specialist IF you have a Set-Up available per your inning availability setting.
The Set-Up will come in 1st if their Inning availability is the same.
Every time IMO.

Hmm, I don't think I've experienced my specialists not coming in till 6th, but I don't use the any feature, I specify availability in the 4th.

I know Toney was set for any, but his other relievers may not have been. If the batter is a LH hitter, Toney may have been skipped in the hierarchy and the mop up may have been next up.

In any event, I would send the boxscore to admin and ask why it happened. They'll be able to give a reason for it.

Toney and Reardon were set to "Any." Hembree was brought in to face Babe Ruth, so maybe Ryno has correctly assessed the situation. However, it would seem to me that if Sparky goes through the hierarchy and doesn't have a LHS, and the "use mop-up only when losing" box is checked, then Sparky should put in the RHS.

I have played around with this a bit. Closer, when set to "only with a lead" is the only option the SIM will go to before the RHP/LHP, but only earlier than the inning he is set to. It always takes a MOP, Long, and Set-up first. Even if they are set to any inning and the MOP to "Losing only."

RHP/LHP only works with a closer, any other pitcher goes first.

I've had set-up come in, in the 3rd in such a setting.

If you have enough SP innings - you could check the box to allow them to come in relief - they'll always come in before a MOP up in those situations.

Thanks for the tips everyone. Got some tweaking to do to several of my WISC bullpens now.