NERD Game Scores: Eddie Butler Debut Event

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 NL at Colorado | 20:40 ET
Hyun-Jin Ryu (58.1 IP, 86 xFIP-, 1.5 WAR) faces Eddie Butler (68.2 IP, 14.1% K, 6.7% BB at Double-A). The latter was ranked first among Rockies prospects this preseason by Marc Hulet and 15th among all prospects everywhere by that same polite Canadian. One finds that he (i.e. Butler, not Marc Hulet) has produced less than elite fielding-independent numbers this season at Double-A Tulsa. Even so, praise for his fastball — both its velocity and movement — is ubiquitous.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Colorado Radio.

Three Brief Notes
Regarding Eddie Butler, An Example Also of His Changeup
Here’s footage from last year’s Futures Game of Butler striking out now actual major-leaguer Xander Bogaerts by means of an excellent 90-mph changeup — which pitch may or may not provoke mystical experience:

Regarding Other Young Pitchers, How They’re Also Starting Today
It would be fair to suggest that there is a panoply of young and talented pitchers also making starts tonight, including but not limited to Trevor Bauer (22.1 IP, 81 xFIP-), Rubby de la Rosa (7.0 IP, 37 xFIP-), Marcus Stroman (12.1 IP, 78 xFIP-), and Chase Whitley (19.0 IP, 95 xFIP-).

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, starts at 7:05pm 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.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Nathan Eovaldi	MIA	9	8	7	5	6	CHN	Jason Hammel	16:05
Kyle Lohse	MIL	6	7	6	5	6	PIT	Bran. Cumpton	19:05
Tommy Milone	OAK	1	7	4	4	6	BAL	Wei-Yin Chen	19:05
Lance Lynn	STL	4	4	7	7	10	TOR	Marcus Stroman*	19:07
Rubby de la Rosa*	BOS	10	3	6	4	4	DET	Drew Smyly	19:08
Cole Hamels	PHI	6	2	6	3	8	CIN	Johnny Cueto	19:10
Chris Young	SEA	0	4	1	5	0	TB	Erik Bedard	19:10
Trevor Bauer	CLE	10	4	7	3	6	TEX	Yu Darvish	20:05
Dallas Keuchel	HOU	8	6	7	4	7	MIN	Phil Hughes	20:10
Chase Whitley*	NYA	8	3	5	4	2	KC	Jeremy Guthrie	20:10
Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAN	7	6	8	10	10	COL	Eddie Butler*	20:40
Julio Teheran	ATL	5	7	7	6	9	AZ	Bran. McCarthy	21:40
Andre Rienzo	CHA	4	2	3	7	2	LAA	Jered Weaver	22:05
Tanner Roark	WAS	4	7	6	5	7	SD	Tyson Ross	22:10
Jon Niese	NYN	5	2	4	7	3	SF	Matt Cain	22:15

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