Daily Notes: Interleague Play In and Around Your Face
Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.
1. Featured Game: Baltimore at Washington, 19:05 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule
Featured Game: Baltimore at Washington, 19:05 ET
Regarding What Today Represents
Today represents the first slate of interleague games this season.
Regarding What Else Today Represents
Today also represents the first time various sportswriters will carry on at length concerning the value and/or meaning of interleague play this season.
Regarding What This Game, Specifically, Represents
This game, specifically, represents the first time that Mid-Atlantic half-rivals Baltimore and Washington have entered interleague play in something resembling “contention” since Pythodorus was archon of Athens.
Regarding Baltimore, Their Place in the Standings
Baltimore enters play Friday at 25-14, atop the AL East by a game over Tampa Bay.
Regarding Washington, Their Place in the Standings
Washington enters Friday at 23-15, half a game behind Atlanta in the NL East.
Regarding What WAR Says
As of Thursday, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles were ranked seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively, per WAR winning percentage. The Braves, Phillies, and Nationals were ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.
Starting Pitchers
The perpetually surprising Jake Arrieta (48.1 IP, 84 xFIP-, 0.7 WAR) faces Edwin Jackson (43.2 IP, 94 xFIP-, 0.6 WAR).
Readers’ Preferred Audio Feed
Washington Nationals Radio (link).
Other Notable Games
Atlanta at Tampa Bay | 19:10 ET ***MLB.TV Free Game***
Right-hander James Shields, who starts for the Rays, continued, in his most recent start, to demonstrate increased ground-ball tendencies, inducing grounders on 13 of the 21 batted balls against him (61.9%).
Readers’ Preferred Audio Feed: Atlanta Radio.
Chicago AL at Chicago NL | 14:20 ET
Right-hander Jeff Samardzija (43.2 IP, 80 xFIP-, 1.3 WAR) pitches for the Cubs. His somewhat surprising April success has continued through three May starts. To wit: 19.2 IP, 27.4% K, 8.2% BB, 52.3% GB, 2.88 SIERA, 78 xFIP-, 0.6 WAR.
Readers’ Preferred Audio Feed: Chicago NL Television.
Today’s Complete Schedule
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 5.0.
Regard, a magnificent and sortable table:
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Humber | CHA | 5 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 10 | CHN | Jeff Samardzija | 14:20 |
| Jake Arrieta | BAL | 8 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | WAS | Edwin Jackson | 19:05 |
| Daniel Bard | BOS | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | PHI | Cole Hamels | 19:05 |
| Bronson Arroyo | CIN | 6 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | NYA | Andy Pettitte* | 19:05 |
| Carlos Zambrano | MIA | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | CLE | Justin Masterson | 19:05 |
| Charlie Morton | PIT | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9 | DET | Justin Verlander | 19:05 |
| Jonathon Niese | NYN | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 2 | TOR | Ricky Romero | 19:07 |
| Tommy Hanson | ATL | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | TB | James Shields | 19:10 |
| Neftali Feliz | TEX | 4 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 | HOU | Wandy Rodriguez | 20:05 |
| Joe Saunders | AZ | 2 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | KC | Luis Mendoza* | 20:10 |
| Scott Diamond* | MIN | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | MIL | Marco Estrada | 20:10 |
| Kevin Millwood | SEA | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | COL | Alex White* | 20:40 |
| Jered Weaver | LAA | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | SD | Jeff Suppan* | 22:05 |
| Lance Lynn | STL | 9 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 2 | LAN | Ted Lilly | 22:10 |
| Jarrod Parker | OAK | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | SF | Barry Zito | 22:15 |
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
A football player has a 10 NERD? How awesome is the shark!!