Quote Originally Posted by Random Poster View Post

As to your absolutes portion of your post- we'll just disagree. I'm a firm believer in playing for the big inning early on. You dont give away outs early in the game. We had pitchers walk 2 straight batters to get themselves in trouble- then Cohen would bunt to let the pitcher off the hook by giving him an out. Make the pitcher have to battle to get that 1st out- dont just hand it to him. There is always a little bit of relief when you get an out. Dont give that away for free. Keep him in turmoil- make him earn his way out of it.
I'm not a fan of absolutes. If you see rain coming and think the game will only go 5 innings, then the third inning is actually the same as the 7th in a normal game. Maybe you play for a run in the third, use your setup guy in the fourth, your closer in the fifth, and take home a victory.