John Locke: not a Pirate.

Florida (8) at Pittsburgh (5) | 19:05 ET
Boom, Debut
Though you probably already wrote about it in your diary and everything, allow me to inform you that left-hander Jeff Locke, 23, makes his major-league debut tonight for Pittsburgh.

Regarding Locke’s Numbers
Here are Jeff Locke’s numbers this season between Double- and Triple-A: 153.1 IP, 8.2 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9.

Regarding Some Other of Locke’s Numbers
Per StatCorner, Locke’s ground-ball numbers appear to’ve hovered in the 45-50% area in the minors.

Regarding Locke’s Relationship to the Philosopher of a Similar Name
On the subject of Locke’s relationship to the 17th c. philosopher John, FanGraphs hasn’t been able to establish any relation between the two, although it should be noted that the former (i.e. Jeff) is fluent on the subject of epistemology.

Regarding How Long It Took to Craft That Fourth Section
Embarrassing minutes.

Regarding How the Yankee-Angel Game Tonight Is Way More Meaningful
Please go blerg yourself.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Pirates Television. (Or Radio, is it, that’s better?)

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Pavarotti doesn’t know what game to watch on Friday.

New York Americans (10) at Los Angeles Americans (5) | 22:05 ET
Mike Trout Watch (Full Season Edition)
97 PA, .230/.299/.448 (.224 BABIP), 106 wRC+

Mike Trout Watch (Should-Hit Edition)
If we assume a .300 BABIP for Mike Trout, he should be posting a 141 wRC+.

Playoff Watch
The Angels are 2.5 games behind Texas. Cool Standings gives them a 13.7% chance of making the playoffs.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Angels Radio?

Two Other Games
Houston (4) at Washington (6) | 19:05 ET
Don’t neglect this opportunity to watch left-hander Tom Milone, who posted a 155:16 in 141.1 minor-league innings this year, make his second career major-league start. Also, don’t neglect this opportunity to begin referring to the Nationals as the Team of the Future™.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Astros Television.

Los Angeles Nationals (4) at San Francisco (3) | 22:15 ET
This game will feature talented starters Clayton Kershaw (10) at Tim Lincecum (8). I’m hearing it will also feature All of the Sadness — in capital letters like that.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Dodgers Television or Giants Radio.

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After a battery of tests, FanGraphs has verified that Chris Schwinden is not Miguel Batista.

Featured Game
Atlanta (4) at New York Nationals (4) | 16:10 ET
• Julio Teheran, one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, makes his third start of the season for the Braves.
• You can see Teheran’s numbers at Triple-A Gwinnett to the right of this colon: 144.2 IP, 7.59 K/9, 2.99 BB/9, 0.31 HR/9, 3.06 FIP.
• For the Mets, right-hander Chris Schwinden, 24, makes his major-league debut.
• While not necessarily a top prospect, Schwinden has the distinction of being not Miguel Batista.
• Which must be nice for Mets fans, at least.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Mets Television.

San Diego (6) at Arizona (8) | 21:40 ET
• Is anyone curious about how Aaron Hill’s performed since joining Arizona?
• If so, here’s that answer in number form: 56 PA, .392/.429/.627, .413 BABIP, 170 RC+.
• Replace the BABIP with Hill’s .284 career mark, and the result is a 110 wRC+
• Which, that’d still be his best performance since 2009 and second-best overall.
• Or, um, his best performance as a baseballer, that is.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Diamondbacks Television.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.1.

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Featured Game
Boston (10) at Toronto (6) | 19:07 ET
• This game is mostly meaningless, on the one hand, in terms of playoff implications.
• On the other hand, so is every jerky game in the whole jerky league, basically.
• And this is the only one that’ll feature Torontonian Brett Lawrie.
• Which, you probably heard all the news yesterday about how he leads the league in Player NERD.
• That was pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty big news.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Boston Television.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.5.

Read the rest of this entry »

Featured Games
Los Angeles Nationals (4) at Washington (6) | 19:05 ET
• The author has taken the liberty of assigning Stephen Strasburg a NERD score of 19 — i.e. the lowest number Strasburg could receive for the purposes of making the overall Game Score a 10.
• It’s for these sort of executive decisions that people often refer to me as “Carson Cistulli.”
• On other occasions, people call me other, horribler things.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Dodgers Television (or Nationals Television, for what might be a more Strasburg-centric broadcast).

Seattle (0) at Los Angeles Americans (5) | 22:05 ET
• There’s a thin red line separating the current baseball season from a baseball season without a playoff race.
• The Angels, if I may submit a submission, are that thin red line.
• And Mike Trout is the Great Artist drawing said line.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Mariners Television.

San Francisco (3) at San Diego (3) | 22:05 ET
• Let’s watch this game together at San Francisco’s Gordon Biersch Brewery, how about.
• Starting around 5pm PT, how about.
• With some other baseball-y baseball nerds.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Giants Radio.

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Quite to the contrary, reader: he barely even knew her.

Featured Game
Detroit (2) at Cleveland (5) | 13:05 ET
• I don’t know the precise word for what the Tigers did to the White Sox on Sunday, but you probably shouldn’t say it in front of your mother.
• Other people’s mothers — that’s no problem.
• The Indians, for their part, managed to beat the Royals while deploying an outfield of Jerad Head, Ezequiel Carrera, and Kosuke Fukudome.
• You probably shouldn’t say at least two of those names in front of your mother, either.
• And probably don’t say the names of either of today’s starters — Doug Fister and Ubaldo Jimenez — in front of your mother, thirdly.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Tigers Television, if you must.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.4.

Read the rest of this entry »

This clip is either (a) five days old or (b) timeless. No one knows for sure.

Featured Game
Minnesota (6 0) at Los Angeles (5) | 15:35 ET
• On the one hand, there are definitely better pitching matchups tonight than Kevin Slowey at Joel Pineiro.
• Like Roy Halladay at Anibal Sanchez, for example.
• On the other, the Angels are the only team within five games of a prospective playoff spot.
• And on the other-other, no other game permits us to employ a Mike Trout Watch.
• Which, voila: 85 PA, .267/.341/.520, .259 BABIP, 138 wRC+, 1/1 SB, 0.7 WAR (including a line of .406/.500/.844, .360 BABIP, in 38 PA since his mid-August recall).

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Angels Radio (i.e. The Home of the Jimmy-Jack).

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 4.9.

Read the rest of this entry »

This presents almost no problem for Washington debutant Tim Milone.

Featured Games
New York Nationals (4) at Washington (5) | 19:05 ET
• Watch as left-hander Tom Milone, 24, makes his major-league debut for Washington.
• That is, the Tom Milone who did this at Triple-A Syracuse this year: 148.1 IP, 9.40 K/9, 0.97 BB/9, 0.55 HR/9, 2.24 FIP.
• And, coincidentally, the Tom Milone who throws in the high-80s.
• Miles per Hour, that is.
• Why, what were you thinking?

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Mets Television.

Arizona (9) at San Francisco (3) | 21:05 ET
• This mostly isn’t a playoff race anymore, what with the D-backs up by five games.
• On the other hand, Tim Lincecum will be pitching his changepiece a whole bunch of times.
• And they’re playing each other, too.
• Which is different than playing with each other, I’ll submit.
• Which is to say, prepositions are important.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Giants Radio.

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What’s the over/under on the chance that this statement’s accurate?

Featured Game
Chicago Americans (2) at Detroit (2) | 19:05 ET
• After the AL West, the AL Central is actually the closest real playoff race, with 5.5 games separating division-leading Detroit and Chicago.
• Here’s another thing that separates Detroit and Chicago: socioeconomic indicators.
• Which, that’s a joke.
• But also, it’s not a joke.
• Just like all jokes, really.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: White Sox Television, on the loudest possible volume.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.3.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jokes.

Featured Game
St. Louis (3) at Milwaukee (7) | 16:10 ET
• Cardinal prospect Brandon Dickson makes his first major-league start tonight, is one reason to watch this game.
• Note, please, that the author made finger quotes while using the word prospect with regard to Dickson — on account of he’s 26, is why.
• His numbers at Triple-A Memphis this season: 157.1 IP, 7.09 K/9, 1.83 BB/9, 1.26 HR/9.
• Expect him to be a control-oriented pitcher with ground-ball rates in the high-40s.
• Also expect Bob Uecker to pleasure your ears and mind on the Brewers radio feed (a.k.a. the other reason to watch this game).

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Brewers Radio.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.4.

Read the rest of this entry »