NERD Game Scores: Ante-Meridian Baseball Opportunity
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
San Francisco at Washington | 11:05 ET
Bumgarner (108.1 IP, 82 xFIP-) vs. Strasburg (57.1 IP, 90 xFIP-)
Roughly 240 years ago on this date, American colonists declared independence from the tyranny of British rule — an event to which the Washington Nationals pay homage each July 4th (i.e. today) by declaring independence from the tyranny of afternoon and night baseball. Fortunately for all involved, the latter event generates much less in the way of bloodshed and political turmoil. Also fortunate, is this: that this year’s edition of the ante-meridian game features starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Stephen Strasburg, each of whom possess objectively compelling traits according both to the methodology laboriously crafted by the author and also just everybody’s normal judgment.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: San Francisco Radio or Television.
Two Brief Notes
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Los Angeles AL at Texas, starts at 21:05 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ma.n Bumgarner | SF | 8 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | WAS | St. Strasburg | 11:05 |
| Nate Karns | TB | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | NYA | Michael Pineda | 13:05 |
| R.A. Dickey | TOR | 7 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 6 | DET | David Price | 13:08 |
| Collin McHugh | HOU | 5 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 7 | BOS | Clay Buchholz | 13:35 |
| Chris Tillman | BAL | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 7 | CHA | Jeff Samardzija | 14:10 |
| O.r Despaigne | SD | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 | STL | Carlos Martinez | 14:15 |
| Cody Anderson | CLE | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 5 | PIT | Jeff Locke | 16:05 |
| Felix Hernandez | SEA | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | OAK | Kend’ll Graveman | 16:05 |
| Jarred Cosart | MIA | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | CHN | Clayton Richard* | 19:15 |
| Jimmy Nelson | MIL | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | CIN | Josh Smith* | 19:15 |
| Mike Pelfrey | MIN | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | KC | Joe Blanton | 19:15 |
| Matt Harvey | NYN | 10 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | LAN | Zack Greinke | 19:15 |
| Kevin Correia | PHI | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | ATL | Alex Wood | 19:15 |
| Hector Santiago | LAA | 3 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | TEX | Wandy Rodriguez | 21:05 |
| David Hale | COL | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | AZ | Patrick Corbin* | 22:10 |
* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Ante meridiem.