NERD Game Scores: An Emergency Involving Carlos Frias

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
Miami at Los Angeles NL | 19:50 ET
Cosart (34.1 IP, 105 xFIP-) vs. Frias (12.2 IP, 77 xFIP-)
One of the giant but also rarely mentioned benefits of marriage is that it provides each of its constituent members with an infallible means by which to excuse him- or herself from unappealing invitations. Were loathsome Dayn Perry of CBS Sports to suggest, for example, that he and the present author meet at a local bar tonight, it would be entirely reasonable for that same author to decline the offer while mumbling something about his wife. Perry, despite his wide and impressive array of flaws, would be compelled to accept this answer and look to afflict his bilious spirit on someone else. For a mere “girlfriend,” however, no such vague excuses could be made, nor would Perry capitulate so quickly. In short, it would be awful.

Besides spouses, however, one other sort of alibi can prove effective, if used sparingly — namely, the sort involving emergencies. And here one finds the relevance of tonight’s Marlins-Dodgers game — in particular, the part of it including Los Angeles right-hander Carlos Frias. Frias, a relative unknown before joining the Dodgers bullpen last year — and still something other than a household name — has recorded both an expected FIP and average fastball velocity both more than 1.5 standard deviations better than the respective means produced by the league’s starters. He also throws strikes at a rate roughly one standard deviation better than those same starters. What this particular game represents is an opportunity to observe Frias en route to excellence. It is, in short, an emergent need that requires the attention of the reader — and can be cited as such should Dayn Perry or one of his spiritual doppelgangers invite you to an awful thing.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Los Angeles NL Television.

One Other Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features St. Louis at Cleveland, starts at 6:10pm 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
Wade Miley	BOS	5	5	6	6	8	OAK	Sonny Gray	15:35
Gio Gonzalez	WAS	9	5	6	6	4	AZ	J.my Hellickson	15:40
John Lackey	STL	6	5	7	7	10	CLE	Corey Kluber	18:10
Francis. Liriano	PIT	9	6	6	1	6	PHI	Cole Hamels	19:05
Aaron Sanchez	TOR	5	7	6	6	5	BAL	Miguel Gonzalez	19:05
Ricky Nolasco	MIN	1	3	3	4	5	DET	Kyle Lobstein	19:08
Eric Stults	ATL	5	3	5	5	6	CIN	Raisel Iglesias*	19:10
Adam Warren	NYA	3	7	5	5	5	TB	Nate Karns	19:10
Jarred Cosart	MIA	6	5	8	9	10	LAN	Carlos Frias	19:50
Yord. Ventura	KC	8	7	6	3	4	TEX	Yovani Gallardo	20:05
Matt Harvey	NYN	10	6	8	5	8	CHN	Jason Hammel	20:05
Jose Quintana	CHA	7	1	6	4	9	MIL	Jimmy Nelson	20:10
Tim Hudson	SF	6	3	6	10	6	HOU	Br. Oberholtzer*	20:10
Jordan Lyles	COL	4	4	4	5	3	LAA	Hector Santiago	22:05
James Shields	SD	9	4	7	5	8	SEA	Taijuan Walker	22:10

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