NERD Game Scores: An Astros-Angels Spiritual Exercise

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
Los Angeles AL at Houston | 20:10 ET
Richards (116.1 IP, 100 xFIP-) vs. McCullers (69.1 IP, 90 xFIP-)
With Houston’s 10-5 victory over Anaheim last night, the two clubs are now tied for the AL West lead and possess mostly similar odds of winning the division. Tonight’s game features an even more robust pitching matchup in Richards and McCullers, each of whom has produced an average fastball velocity greater than 94 mph this season. The appeal of the contest is such that one would like time to pass at a more rapid rate than usual between now and 8pm ET — and return to a normal speed just moments before first pitch. One would like a lot of things, however, which will never obviously materialize. Perhaps today is best utilized becoming acquainted with that difficult truth.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Houston Radio.

One Other Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Pittsburgh at Minnesota, starts at 13:10 ET, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.

Complete Schedule
Here’s the complete and very sortable table for all of today’s games. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and also the rest of the internet. Note that the calculations both for team and game NERD scores have changed recently to better integrate playoff odds into same. Read more about those changes here, if you’re the sort of person accustomed to making poor life decisions.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Justin Verlander	DET	3	3	5	4	10	TB	Chris Archer	12:10
Jeremy Guthrie	KC	3	4	5	4	10	CLE	Corey Kluber	12:10
Francisco Liriano	PIT	9	8	7	4	6	MIN	Ervin Santana	13:10
Eddie Butler	COL	1	4	4	5	6	CHN	Jon Lester	14:20
Patrick Corbin	AZ	10	5	6	3	7	SEA	Felix Hernandez	15:40
Mike Fiers	MIL	3	3	4	8	2	SF	Jake Peavy	15:45
Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	8	2	5	7	3	BAL	Chris Tillman	19:05
Jerome Williams	PHI	4	2	6	10	7	TOR	R.A. Dickey	19:07
Jose Quintana	CHA	6	1	4	3	5	BOS	Rick Porcello	19:10
Tyson Ross	SD	8	3	6	7	6	NYN	Bartolo Colon	19:10
Doug Fister	WAS	3	8	5	5	3	MIA	Tom Koehler	19:10
Masahiro Tanaka	NYA	8	7	5	3	3	TEX	Colby Lewis	20:05
Garrett Richards	LAA	6	8	8	10	8	HOU	Lance McCullers	20:10
Ant. DeSclafani	CIN	4	3	3	3	4	STL	John Lackey	20:15
Jesse Chavez	OAK	5	4	7	9	10	LAN	Clayton Kershaw	22:10

* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.