NERD Game Scores: Clayton Kershaw Appointment Television

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.

NERD Image 4

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.





Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.

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Steven
9 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
9 years ago
Reply to  Steven

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