are you playing on wood or synthetic? is there oil in the middle you could use to swing out, and roll up to the pocket?
i know you siad straighter is better, but i ran into some of that earier this year, and all i ran into was unpredictable oil pattern transitions playing straight up 5, as i was playing in everybody else's break point. since then, i have started to play more of the middle, putting a few more revs on the ball and tucking it in deep corner, and smashing the whole. The more revs and deeper angle have added to my ability to carry out pins, even on high and low flush hits, that i never thought would carry.