By definition, every shot of William Howard Taft is a wide-angle shot.

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Expanded previews for two games: San Francisco at New York (NL) and Colorado at Atlanta.

2. Smaller, but still entirely luminous, reports on three more games: Milwaukee at Atlanta, Florida at St. Louis, and Cleveland at Oakland.

3. Pitcher and Team NERD scores for every one of tonight’s games regardless of race, creed, color, gender, or if it involves the Astros.

Read the rest of this entry »

Brandon McCarthy wants to do for opposing batters what Senator McCarthy did for pinko commies.

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Expanded previews for three games: Texas at Oakland, New York (AL) at Detroit, and Los Angeles (AL) at Boston.

2. Pitcher and Team NERD scores for every one of tonight’s games.

3. At least one cheap joke about Bartolo Colon’s appetite.

Read the rest of this entry »

An actual drawing from Daniel Hudson’s dream journal.

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Hot, bullet-pointed previews for six games.

2. Pitcher and Team NERD scores for every one of this weekend’s games.

3. A challenging blend of vim and vigor.

Read the rest of this entry »

At the current market value per win, Juan Pierre theoretically owes the White Sox $5 million.

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Expanded previews for the day’s three most interesting games: Toronto at Texas, Chicago (AL) at New York (AL), and Kansas City at Cleveland.

2. NERD Game Scores™ for every one of tonight’s games.

3. Some “creative” “use” of the “language.”

Read the rest of this entry »

A visual representation of Jose Bautista’s slash stats.

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Expanded previews for three games: Cincinnati at Milwaukee, Kansas City at Cleveland, and Toronto at Texas.

2. NERD Game Scores™ for every one of tonight’s games.

3. Some unkempt thoughts regarding Kool Keith’s oeuvre.

Read the rest of this entry »

For a spreadsheet of all 116 NERD-eligible pitchers (with scores), click here.

As a reader of FanGraphs, you undoubtedly subscribe to the proposition that whatever humans can do, robots and/or computers can do perfectly. (You probably also subscribe to — and enjoy the completely indecent centerfolds of — Ubuntu Enthusiast, but that’s a different conversation.)

It was with that guiding principle in mind that, last summer, I set about devising a way that my computer might tell me which baseball games to watch on any given night — so long, that is, as I entered in the variables most important to the sabermetrically oriented baseballing fan. This, after medium-sized last, is how NERD was born.

After a bit of fiddling, and no little faddling, it became possible to put a number, on a scale of 1-10, on each specific game — a number that, while not infallible, would anticipate more quickly than I ever could which of the night’s games merited note.

Today, the NERD game score returns.

Just below these words is today’s most interesting contest. After that, some notes and the rest of today’s 15 games.

Read the rest of this entry »

The real Matt Garza?

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Far-seeing previews for two games.

2. Updated Team NERD scores in parentheses and updated ZiPS projections for pitchers — plus, an updated Team NERD table featuring all 30 MLB teams.

3. Some serious questions about Matt Garza’s identity.

Read the rest of this entry »

Seattle’s Jason Vargas wants you to know: “They’re not tricks, they’re illusions.”

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Previews for seven — yes, seven — weekend games.

2. Updated Team NERD scores in parentheses.

3. Shameless references to pop culture — for the kids.

Read the rest of this entry »

American singer-songwriter Randy Newman says, “Watch these games.”

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Previews for today’s three most interesting games.

2. Updated Team NERD scores and updated ZiPS projections for pitchers (where appropriate).

3. At least one more whimsical comment about American singer-songwriter Randy Newman.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dust. Wind. Dude.

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Previews for three games, all featuring Flawless Information™ (i.e. sexy, updated Team NERD scores and sexy, updated ZiPS projections for pitchers).

2. Razor-sharp and totally updated Base Runs standings (i.e. the best kind of standings).

3. A poll of a philosophical nature.

Read the rest of this entry »