Houston starters in a 3 game ATG/1 SP series.

[TbT]

The tourney is coming up and Houston has the toughest side of the bracket to play in.  Im torn between my game 1 starter. 

Since i'l be facing either NL/DET/AL/SF i really need to dominate on the mound.  Im leaning towards Scott in games 1 & 3.  My reasoning is that with his sinkerball he should be able to get me out of a lot of jams. 

originally i had Scott pegged as game 2 starter to bail me out in case i dropped game 1.   But thats defensive thinking.  Almost like id plan on Scott pitching in the must win games.  So then i flip flopped and decided that maybe with that way of thinking, i should use him to try and win game 1.  That Ryan fast ball is delicious though.  that alone keeps batters off guard most all game.

I am probably starting Chuck Kerfeld in all games to set the tone early, and then Ryan/Scott come in during the 3rd or 4th inning.

whadda yall think.   Gimme your reasoning.

[ultimate7]

It's a tough call, but I think I go with Scott, it's been so long since I've played regularly

[Darky]

I like to use Scott in relief....btw...what the fuck does ATG/1 SP means?

If hitters don't swing off Scott's knuckle drop, then he tires quicker and is not the best pitcher behind in the count.

[BeefMaster]

I like to use Scott in relief....btw...what the fuck does ATG/1 SP means?

AnyThing Goes, 1 Starting Pitcher (per game).  The 1 starting pitcher thing isn't a hard-and-fast rule, I don't think, but you play a series with no reset between games, so if you use both starters in a game, they're both unavailable for the next game.

[Darky]

Thanks Beef.

You are on your own TBT, may the force be with you.

And remember, it is not the bow but the indian.

[fknmclane]

I start Scott, no doubt about it.  He has better overall stuff.  His fastball may not have the zip of Nolan's, but his changeup is unreal and his pitches have better movement.  I've always though of Nolan as a one trick pony.

[Shooty]

Scott

[OctoFranco]

I voted Nolan but then changed my mind after reading your circumstances.

The teams you're going against have the kind of bats that can make horribly mistimed swings yet still wind up with monster opposite field blasts.  Thus Scott's ability to make them swing and miss is more important than Nolan's ability to get them to put non-solidly hit balls into play.  But if you were playing SL or something, then I'd go Express all the way.

You're probably still gonna lose though.

Say TBT, where do you typically use your Ho subs?  They've always had an underrated bench in my opinion, and not just because the starters happen to be complete shit.

[Darky]

The thing that I like about Nolan Ryan, is that he has good movement on his normal speed fastballs. His change of speed from hard stuff to normal shit can get the hitter off balance and really in front of the ball.

Nolan Ryan can pitch with anyone, and I love his stamina.  Personally, I like Nolan Ryan the best among the power pitchers. I liked alternating from the 3b side to the 1b side on the rubber on any count on the hitter. I liked him owning the corners with some good offspeed stuff and some heat.

[fknmclane]

Say TBT, where do you typically use your Ho subs?  They've always had an underrated bench in my opinion, and not just because the starters happen to be complete shit.

I'm obviously not TBT but I'll put my two cents in anyway.  Lopes and Garner are great off the bench but I've never settled on an exact rotation or whatever for these two since the rest of Houston sucks so, so bad.  I usually end up getting Lopes in for Hatcher and Garner in for Wallling, that way they'll get more at-bats.  Fuck, Houston really sucks.

[TbT]

Say TBT, where do you typically use your Ho subs?  They've always had an underrated bench in my opinion, and not just because the starters happen to be complete shit.

Unlike most teams, this can vary from day to day.

Since Houston has dogshit for power, I go with speed.  My usual line up is Garner for Walling/ Lopes for Doran, and try to save Thon and Puhl for a situation where homer/base hit is needed with the PH boost later.  Rarely i do go Lopes for Hatcher.

[TbT]

with Octo's vote going the other way, Scott is winning in a landslide here.  so im gonna pencil him in for game 1 vs whoever ends up meeting HOU.

I think darkside forgot that Scott has a 50 stamina, so its not out of the realm of reason to throw a lot of junk balls, and still get a strong 5 or 6 innings outta him.  Like all things in life, you just need to know how/when to pick your battles.

[Darky]

Scott can work, no doubt. If you can make it work with Scott, then go with Scott.

I like Scott, but I prefer to use Nolan cause he has the heater and because in ATG 2sp, I love bringing in Scott sometime in the sixth, mix in all kinds of knuckles,  get Kerfeld in there in the ninth, and Smith is ready to get one or two hitters out and game over.

[Gantry]

Fuck this jazz, Ryan...

[Reds]

the Express.

He's better than what anyone here is givng him credit for...especially with kerfield pitching behind him....He's good for 7 inning minimum if you lay off his fastball and work the corners.

[Darky]

Fuck this jazz, Ryan...

the Express.

He's better than what anyone here is givng him credit for...especially with kerfield pitching behind him....He's good for 7 inning minimum if you lay off his fastball and work the corners.

Somehow, we are all in agreement with our own great points.

The longest I have used Ryan in a close ball game was maybe 8 and one third, and this is a huge advantage. As I mentioned before, I like Ryan better.......and it is not the bow but the indian.

[JoeDirt]

Looks like I just broke the tie.  I, too, go with Ryan.  My problem with Scott is that too many players end up playing the knuckles stay up/knuckle drop game.  Any worthy opponent can best this strategy.  You must remember that Scott is a pitcher and pitch with him.  Don't fall into the trap.

[TbT]

wow, nolan has made a comeback.  tomorro night 3 of us are supposed to get in a practice session, so i'll re-evaluate things then.

[Stock]

I too like Nolan.

To me Scott is not as effective in the first 2-3 innings since every knuckle ball seems to drop.  In this case, it is easy to lay off and tire him out.
Once Scott starts to fatigue, however, his knuckle seems to be more effective since some may drop and some may float right thru the strike zone.  Then, with 2 strikes, the batter must guess. 
Then, once he does tire, he is crap.  You only get about 2-3 great innings out of him IMO.
Nolan seems to be more consistent over the long hall.

In any case, 1sp-atg, I very rarely use fastballs/knuckles unless there are 2 strikes.  I am just too conservative, and too scared to tire a pitcher too quickly.  Using this strategy, I have to take the pitcher that has better curve and better speed on his curves.  Nolan blows Scott out of the water here.

[ultimate7]

Nolan threw a perfect game at the 2006 COTUT