Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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 Los Angeles NL | 22:10 ET
Homer Bailey (57.1 IP, 96 xFIP-, 0.2 WAR) faces Clayton Kershaw (28.1 IP, 53 xFIP-, 1.1 WAR). The latter, after recording a single-game 5.39 xFIP and conceding seven runs over 1.2 innings in Arizona (box), much more resembled his true self this last Friday in Philadelphia, during which start he produced a 9:3 strikeout-to-ratio over 6.0 decidedly scoreless innings (other box).

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Los Angeles NL Television.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
Boston at Atlanta | 19:10 ET
Jon Lester (67.0 IP, 74 xFIP-, 2.2 WAR) faces Aaron Harang (59.2 IP, 86 xFIP-, 1.7 WAR). The former has recorded a strikeout rate (27.8%) this season approximately a third higher than his already totally competent career mark. The latter — according to Wikipedia, at least — was brutally murdered by a gang of criminals and subsequently revived by the malevolent mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) as a superhuman cyborg baseball pitcher.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Atlanta Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
New York AL at St. Louis | 16:15 ET
Chase Whitley (9.0 IP, 95 xFIP-, 0.3 WAR) faces Michael Wacha (60.1 IP, 81 xFIP-, 1.3 WAR). With regard to the latter, former and beloved contributor to these pages Mike Axisa — who, it should be said, knows from freaky — makes the following internet observation:

2013 Wacha vs. 2014 Wacha is kinda freaky: http://t.co/eHS1ODw1eM

— Mike Axisa (@mikeaxisa) May 25, 2014

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: St. Louis Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
Houston at Seattle | 16:10 ET
Dallas Keuchel (61.2 IP, 70 xFIP-, 1.6) faces Hisashi Iwakuma (30.2 IP, 82 xFIP-, 0.8 WAR). Were the reader interested in regarding two of the major leagues’ most productive pitches this afternoon, he or she has the opportunity to do so by way of the present game. The former’s two-seam fastball has created more pitch-type runs than any other starters’ who’s also recorded at 30 innings. Meanwhile, despite having missed all of April, the latter has produced the third-most such runs by way of his splitter.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Whatever Whatever Whatever.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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 Piitsburgh | 19:10 ET
Stephen Strasburg (61.1 IP, 67 xFIP-, 1.7 WAR) faces Gerrit Cole (58.2 IP, 89 xFIP-, 0.4 WAR) — which pitchers are ranked ninth and fourth, respectively, by average fastball velocity among qualified starters. Regarding Strasburg, specifically, both his Steamer and ZiPS updated end-of-season lines indicate that he’s likely to surpass his career-best 4.1 WAR mark from 2012.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Washington Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
Boston at Tampa Bay | 19:10 ET
John Lackey (58.1 IP, 87 xFIP-, 1.3 WAR) faces Chris Archer (51.0 IP, 97 xFIP-, 0.9 WAR). The former, one finds, has actually improved upon the surprising strikeout and walk figures he recorded last season, having produced rates of 22.9% and 5.3%, respectively, through nine starts. Of note regarding Lackey’s field-playing teammates: it appears as though, among that group, that young shortstop Xander Bogaerts has produced the highest WAR figure, tied with others at 1.1 wins.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Tampa Bay Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
Oakland at Tampa Bay | 16:10 ET
Sonny Gray (60.0 IP, 89 xFIP-, 1.1 WAR) faces Alex Cobb (19.0 IP, 98 xFIP-, 0.3 WAR). The latter makes his first start since April 12th after suffering, and then recovering from, a left oblique strain. He struck out nine of the 17 batters he faced — which is to say more than half of them — during a rehab start for the High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs (box). No substantive footage exists of the game; however, it does exist of this fisherman removing the claws from actual stone crabs.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Tampa Bay Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
Arizona at St. Louis | 20:15 ET
Brandon McCarthy (55.2 IP, 72 xFIP-, 0.5 WAR) faces Michael Wacha (54.1 IP, 78 xFIP-, 1.2 WAR). While the former has conceded almost precisely five earned runs for every nine innings recorded this season, he’s produced the fielding-independent numbers of a pitcher who’d generally allow runs at about half that rate. McCarthy’s strikeout-walk differential (18.0%) is currently twice his career average while his ground-ball rate (54.1%) is also considerably higher than previously established levels.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: St. Louis Radio.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
New York AL at Chicago NL | 19:10 ET
Masahiro Tanaka (58.0 IP, 58 xFIP-, 1.6 WAR) faces Jason Hammel (53.0 IP, 96 xFIP-, 0.9 WAR). The former has produced the second-best park-adjusted xFIP among all qualified starters, and the absolute best park-adjusted xFIP among all qualified starters who haven’t also recently destroyed both their UCLs and, while so doing, the illusions of many who believed in the permanence of beauty.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Chicago NL Television.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by viscount of the internet 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
Houston at Los Angeles AL | 22:05 ET
Dallas Keuchel (53.0 IP, 73 xFIP-, 1.2 WAR) faces Garrett Richards (52.0 IP, 81 xFIP-, 1.5 WAR). The former has produced surprisingly excellent numbers largely owing to his slider, the virtues of which pitch Eno Sarris documented recently at RotoGraphs. The latter has begun to record the sort of numbers one might expect given the quality of his repertoire — a trend which Jeff Sullivan recently examined at FanGraphs.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Houston Radio?

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