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.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
I am taking my friendly neighbourhood Indians fan to tonight’s Bauer v. Darvish fixture. Excited for the matchup, for the seats (club level, very first row), and for Rangers Park’s recently-upgraded beer selection, which now expands to cover Alaskan, Avery, Stone, and Dogfish Head, along with local favourites Rahr & Sons and Revolver, as well as the typical horse piss not worth dignifying.
However, the neighbourhood Indians fan is a vegetarian, and she may find it difficult to order at a ballpark which now showcases a 16 oz. “Beltre Buster Burger” and two different 24-inch-long sandwiches, one of them a hot dog and the other a “Choomongous” beef sriracha combo.
http://blog.scorebig.com/2014/04/16/texas-rangers-tickets-guide-vegan-options-at-rangers-ballpark-in-arlington/
Chivalry and beer go together like Jagger and Richards.
Thank you, good sir! I will devour an order of garlic waffle fries in your honour.
Think about how much better those would be after a bowl of Cali’s finest!
Young vs Bedard. Wow.
Clearly this is the Manos: The Hands of Fate of pitching matchups.
Young should be a 10, a singular retort to fielding independent statistics. He’s so zero he’s 10. When he looks at his stat line and batted ball profile, when everyone else sees a disaster, he sees Barry Badrinath in his disco clothes and says “Looking good you handsome mothafucka.”
He’s so zero he’s 10.
You have won the
Internetrights to the English language.It is perhaps worth noting that Butler hadn’t really been using his slider or changeup much (or at all?) in double A to focus on fastball command and developing a curve.
A panoply of young pitchers. Carson, you are one slick SOB when it comes to the English language. From now on, that should be the group noun for young pitchers. “Here comes a murder of crows and a panoply of young pitchers.”