I cradled out level 1 every time, and was typically around the 20-25 mil range after playing Kobiyashi.
That set a good base score for me to then start attacking the game for the multiballs and other 'stuff'. I probably wouldn't do this in a HERB style, but in PAPA style when you're talking about not wanting to tank a game, having that 20-25 mil in my back pocket worked for me pretty well as I knew I would be getting some points as part of my run.