NERD Game Scores for Friday, July 11, 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.

Most Highly Rated Game
Oakland at Seattle | 22:10 ET
Jeff Samardzija (115.0 IP, 86 xFIP-, 2.4 WAR) faces Felix Hernandez (136.1 IP, 62 xFIP-, 5.1 WAR). One notes, with regard to the latter, that his most recent start — over which he produced an 8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 55% ground-ball rate — actually served to slightly increase (i.e. make worse) his park-adjusted xFIP. That’s likely the most economical way of indicating that Hernandez is in the midst of an excellent season. A less economical way would be to paint a large portrait of Hernandez astride a pile of corpses, each corpse representing a batter Hernandez had retired this season.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Seattle Radio.

Two Brief Notes
Transaction of Note: Jimmy Nelson Promoted
After Thursday’s game against Philadelphia, the Milwaukee Brewers promoted right-handed prospect Jimmy Nelson to the parent club. Nelson, who recorded strikeout and walk rates of 26.5% and 7.4%, respectively, over 111.0 innings with Triple-A Nashville, is expected to start on Saturday against St. Louis.

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features the Chicago Americans at Cleveland, 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
Alex Wood	ATL	8	7	8	5	8	CHN	Jake Arrieta	16:05
Hector Noesi	CHA	4	2	6	7	9	CLE	Corey Kluber	19:05
Hiroki Kuroda	NYA	4	3	3	6	1	BAL	Miguel Gonzalez	19:05
J. Zimmermann	WAS	9	6	5	2	2	PHI	A.J. Burnett	19:05
Hend’son Alvarez	MIA	7	7	7	2	8	NYN	Zack Wheeler	19:10
Jeff Locke	PIT	7	4	5	3	3	CIN	Mat Latos	19:10
Mark Buehrle	TOR	4	6	5	6	6	TB	Chris Archer	19:10
Garrett Richards	LAA	9	6	5	4	2	TEX	Nick Tepesch	20:05
John Lackey	BOS	9	2	5	8	2	HOU	Scott Feldman	20:10
Anibal Sanchez	DET	4	4	4	5	3	KC	Danny Duffy	20:10
Joe Kelly*	STL	7	3	5	6	3	MIL	Yovani Gallardo	20:10
Kris Johnson*	MIN	6	3	4	9	1	COL	Jorge de la Rosa	20:40
Jeff Samardzija	OAK	8	6	8	5	10	SEA	Felix Hernandez	22:10
Jesse Hahn	SD	9	4	6	5	5	LAN	Dan Haren	22:10
Mike Bolsinger	AZ	8	5	6	5	5	SF	Tim Lincecum	22:15

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