Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Surprise Meeting of the Corey Kluber Society
The Purpose of This Post
The purpose of this post is to announce an impromptu meeting — in this case, at 7:10pm ET tonight (Tuesday) — of the Corey Kluber Society.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Washington at Los Angeles NL | 22:10 ET
Strasburg (93.0 IP, 70 xFIP-) vs. Kershaw (108.0 IP, 49 xFIP-)
The author, who has made a habit in life of stating the obvious, is compelled to state it here once again: a ball game featuring both Stephen Strasburg and Clayton Kershaw promises to be an absorbing ball game. One doesn’t require the assistance of an arbitrarily calculated “pleasure” metric to reach this sort of conclusion. Indeed, it’s common knowledge.

To render this brief entry worthwhile, then, let’s consider some knowledge that’s less common — in this case, regarding the etymology and provenance of the surname Kershaw. No less than 30 seconds of research reveals that the name is derived from northern Middle English kirk (meaning “church”) and shaw (“grove”). Both logic and also Ancestry.com suggest that one bearing such a surname would have likely resided near the church grove.

In conclusion, this entry has eluded total worthlessness.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Los Angeles NL Television.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Seattle at Boston | 13:35 ET
Walker (70.2 IP, 91 xFIP-) vs. Price (91.2 IP, 78 xFIP-)
While the arbritraily calculated NERD metric produced by the author indicates that this afternoon’s Mariners-Red Sox game is likely to offer the day’s best example of the Pastime, it’s unlikely that either he — or many other of this site’s contributors, in fact — will have the opportunity to inspect it closely. Instead, that same cadre of adorably nebbish men and women will be present at the Staten Island Yankees’ Sabermetrics Day event — for which event it’s necessary to leave literally right now, if managing Dave Cameron’s expression and wild gesticulations are a reliable indicator.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Boston Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Cincinnati at Houston | 16:10 ET
Reed (MLB Debut) vs. Keuchel (87.2 IP, 81 xFIP-)
There’s not what one might call a “surfeit” of compelling reasons either to have watched or continue watching the Cincinnati Reds this year. They’ve recorded among the league’s worst offensive numbers this season, and the actual worst pitching ones. Their 27-41 record, already poor, is roughly five wins better than their BaseRuns numbers suggest it ought to be. If the Reds have succeed this year, it’s only at reminding the public that life is fleeting; joy, ephemeral.

What this game represents, however, is the major-league debut of left-hander Cody Reed — the sort of player, it seems, who might be partially responsible for that moment when the club returns to adequacy. Reed, who has produced strong numbers this year to complement his above-average arm speed, is well acquitted both by Chris Mitchell’s computer numbers and Eric Longenhagen’s scouting report.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Houston Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Seattle at Tampa Bay | 13:10 ET
Paxton (16.0 IP, 45 xFIP-) vs. Snell (5.0 IP, 86 xFIP-)
If you’re the sort of person who’s impressed by strong fielding-indepenent pitching performances, then James Paxton’s most recent start (his third of the season) is for you. If you’re the sort of person who’s concerned only with a pitcher’s capacity to prevent runs — regardless of how he manages it — James Paxton’s most recent start is for you. If you’re the sort of person who’s like, “I’m more about guys with electric stuff. Like, they have this stuff, right? And that stuff is composed either mostly or entirely of electricity.” In that case, you might be Norm Macdonald, because he talks like that. But also, James Paxton’s most recent start is for you, probably. Finally, if you’re the sort of person who detests the rhetorical device anaphora, then this brief paragraph likely possesses little appeal for you. For that reason, and others too, maybe.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Tampa Bay Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Baltimore at Boston | 19:10 ET
Gausman (60.0 IP, 93 xFIP-) vs. Wright (82.0 IP, 101 xFIP-)
At one point, Tyler Wilson was listed as Baltimore’s starting pitcher for this game. Now, he’s not. Now, Kevin Gausman is. The future outcome of this contest is likely different for it: Gausman has been more successful than Wilson in ways that suggest he’ll continue being more successful. As for the effect on the world, this is less clear. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, it sets off a tornado in Texas. If Kevin Gausman starts against the Red Sox instead of Tyler Wilson… one doesn’t know. That said, if the state of Texas experiences a particularly fraught week of violent storms, there’s likely to be finger-pointing in the direction of a certain Orioles right-hander.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Baltimore Television or Boston Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Chicago NL at Washington | 19:05 ET
Lackey (82.0 IP, 84 xFIP-) vs. Gonzalez (71.0 IP, 88 xFIP-)
Three questions to contemplate while leisurely consuming this leisure game:

QUESTION NO. 1
Both the Cubs and Nationals are in first place. At what point does the prospect of a pennant chase begin to feel “real”?

QUESTION NO. 2
How would Nigel Warburton, host of podcast Philosophy Bites, pronounce the phrase “feel real”?

QUESTION NO. 3
How would one render Warburton’s pronunciation into print by way of the International Phonetic Alphabet?

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Chicago NL TV or Washington Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Chicago NL at Washington | 19:05 ET
Hendricks (68.1 IP, 84 xFIP-) vs. Scherzer (88.1 IP, 84 xFIP-)
Here’s a thought experiment the reader can conduct with a view towards (a) sharpening his or her understanding of playoff probabilities and/or (b) pushing away the sadness for another moment or two.

Regard, some relevant facts:

• The Cubs and Nationals possess the two best records in the NL.
• The Cubs lead their division by 9.0 games; the Nationals, by 4.5.
• The season is roughly 40% complete.

Given the information presented here, what do you think are the Cubs’ and Nationals’ odds of winning their respective divisions (using the FanGraphs Projections methodology)?

The answer for Washington is here; for Chicago, here. Divisional odds are denoted as DIV.

Readers’ Preferred Television Broadcast: Washington Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Detroit at New York AL | 14:05 ET
Fulmer (47.2 IP, 84 xFIP-) vs. Pineda (66.0 IP, 86 xFIP-)
One of the earliest and longest abiding lessons of field-independent metrics for the present author was the ease with which they illustrate how little control one ultimately exercises over the course of events. For those (like the author) whose personal ledgers are marked largely by failure, FIP offers some consolation. “Perhaps it isn’t entirely my fault,” one is able to say. “Perhaps it’s the merely vagaries of chance.”

By the fielding-independent metrics, Michael Fulmer was basically the same pitcher over his first four starts as his next four. His run-prevention numbers have not been identical over those two samples, however.

Michael Fulmer’s Eight Starts

Starts	IP	K%	BB%	xFIP	ERA	Diff
First Four	19.1	23.7%	9.7%	3.59	6.52	+2.93
Next Four	28.1	26.5%	6.9%	3.44	0.32	-3.12

Fulmer is a talented pitcher, one for whom — by virtue both of his physical tools and youth — it’s possible to expect great things. He’s neither so indomitable nor domitable as he’s alternately appeared this season.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Detroit Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Texas at Seattle | 22:10 ET
Lewis (76.0 IP, 112 xFIP-) vs. Paxton (9.2 IP, 29 xFIP-)
The left-handed Paxton established a career-high single-game average fastball velocity in his season debut on June 1st at San Diego. He established a new career-high mark in his next start — this one on June 6th against Cleveland. This evening’s game between Texas and Seattle represents Paxton’s third appearance of the year.

The difference between this version of Paxton and previous ones? Quite a bit, finds Eno Sarris — including a new arm slot, different pitch mix, and more dogged approach. The result has been basically a left-handed version of Noah Syndergaard. Regard, his average velocity marks per pitch type from that June 6th start compared to Syndergaard’s season figures.

Syndergaard vs. Paxton, Velocity Comparison

Pitch	Syndergaard in 2016	Paxton on June 6	Difference
Fastball	99.2	98.9	-0.3
Changeup	90.4	89.9	-0.5
Slider	92.0	91.1	-0.9
Curveball	82.8	84.4	+1.6

SOURCE: Brooks Baseball

The elite velocity hasn’t translated into elite run-prevention so far: Paxton has conceded 11 runs (only four earned) in 9.2 innings since this return. The strikeout and walk numbers have been elite, however, and are likely more indicative of his ability to record outs.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Texas Radio.

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