NERD Game Scores for Friday, August 1, 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.astro

Most Highly Rated Game
Los Angeles AL at Tampa Bay | 19:10 ET
Matt Shoemaker (76.1 IP, 81 xFIP-, 0.9 WAR) faces Jeremy Hellickson (9.0 IP, 121 xFIP-, 0.2 WAR). In all of July, the former walked only three batters over 22.1 innings — this, while striking out 24. Nor was that performance particularly out of character for Shoemaker: among the 205 pitchers to have recorded 20-plus innings as a starter this year, Shoemaker has produced the 11th-best park-adjusted xFIP — just behind the recently traded David Price and just ahead of the also recently traded Jon Lester.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Tampa Bay Radio.

Two Brief Notes
Debut Notice: Boston’s Anthony Ranaudo
Right-handed Boston prospect Anthony Ranaudo, selected 39th overall by Boston out of LSU in the 2010 draft, is expected to make his major-league debut tonight against the New York Americans. Despite possessing a useful fastball and having produced a 2.41 ERA over 119.1 innings at Triple-A Pawtucket, Ranaudo’s fielding-independent numbers suggest that he’s likely unprepared to prevent runs at even a league-average rate.

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Seattle at Baltimore, starts at 7:05pm ET, will likely feature Austin Jackson in center field for the Mariners, 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
Rob. Hernandez	PHI	0	3	3	7	5	WAS	Doug Fister	19:05
Roenis Elias	SEA	6	4	5	6	5	BAL	Wei-Yin Chen	19:05
Jerome Williams*	TEX	4	4	6	7	8	CLE	Danny Salazar	19:05
Franklin Morales	COL	0	8	3	5	3	DET	Justin Verlander	19:08
Mat Latos	CIN	2	1	3	7	4	MIA	Jarred Cosart	19:10
Matt Shoemaker	LAA	10	6	7	7	5	TB	Jer. Hellickson*	19:10
Chris Capuano*	NYA	5	2	5	3	7	BOS	Ant. Ranaudo*	19:10
Ryan Vogelsong	SF	3	5	4	2	4	NYN	Jon Niese	19:10
Logan Darnell*	MIN	6	4	7	3	10	CHA	Chris Sale	20:10
J.A. Happ	TOR	3	6	6	9	7	HOU	Collin McHugh	20:10
Wily Peralta	MIL	7	6	6	3	5	STL	Ad’m Wainwright	20:15
Jeremy Guthrie	KC	3	4	5	8	7	OAK	Sonny Gray	21:35
Edinson Volquez	PIT	1	6	3	5	4	AZ	Vidal Nuno	21:40
Mike Minor	ATL	6	6	5	5	4	SD	Eric Stults	22:10
Kyle Hendricks*	CHN	6	6	6	5	5	LAN	Dan Haren	22:10

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