NERD Game Scores: Clayton Kershaw Appointment Television

July 20, 2014

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.

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Most Highly Rated Game
Los Angeles NL at St. Louis | 20:05 ET
Clayton Kershaw (96.1 IP, 46 xFIP-, 3.7 WAR) faces Carlos Martinez (63.0 IP, 100 xFIP-, 0.4 WAR). One will recognize the former as the pitcher to have produced the entirely best park-adjusted xFIP among all starters this season — a figure, his 46 xFIP-, that would represent the best such mark by a qualified starter since 2002 (i.e. as far back as that particular metric is available). Kershaw’s start at St. Louis’s Busch appears likely to be one of only two opportunities this whole season to observe the left-hander pitching in front of a straight-on center-field camera.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: St. Louis Radio.

An Additional and Brief Note
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Colorado at Pittsburgh, starts at 1:35pm 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.

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Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Johnny Cueto	CIN	8	3	5	3	3	NYA	Hiroki Kuroda	13:05
Nick Tepesch	TEX	2	4	3	5	4	TOR	Mark Buehrle	13:07
Josh Tomlin	CLE	8	7	6	4	4	DET	Drew Smyly	13:08
Tim Lincecum	SF	5	6	5	8	3	MIA	Brad Hand	13:10
Tyler Matzek	COL	4	8	6	5	8	PIT	Jeff Locke	13:35
Yordano Ventura	KC	10	5	7	2	7	BOS	Jon Lester	13:35
Yovani Gallardo	MIL	3	6	5	7	6	WAS	Gio Gonzalez	13:35
Kyle Kendrick	PHI	2	2	5	7	7	ATL	Alex Wood	13:35
Jarred Cosart	HOU	4	8	4	2	2	CHA	John Danks	14:10
Chris Archer	TB	6	7	4	4	0	MIN	Kevin Correia	14:10
Chris Young	SEA	0	5	4	6	7	LAA	Tyler Skaggs	15:35
Kevin Gausman	BAL	5	6	6	7	7	OAK	Sonny Gray	16:05
Jake Arrieta	CHN	8	5	5	5	2	AZ	Josh Collmenter	16:10
Zack Wheeler	NYN	8	2	5	4	2	SD	O. Despaigne	16:10
Clayton Kershaw	LAN	10	5	9	3	10	STL	Carlos Martinez	20:05

To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.

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Steven

11 years ago

Jeff Locke has a NERD score of 8? I could see a reincarnated John Locke having an 8, but Jeff Locke? The guy who throws around 90-92 mph and is only striking out 5.58 batters per 9 innings?

Kaiser Wilhelm

Reply to Steven

He’s a quick worker with a low(ish) xFIP who throws a lot of strikes.