NERD Game Scores for Friday, May 29, 2015

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
Pittsburgh at San Diego | 22:10 ET
Liriano (53.2 IP, 80 xFIP-) vs. Shields (62.1 IP, 74 xFIP-)
Despite all his success in the majors over a decade-long career, San Diego right-hander James Shields has never produced a strikeout rate greater than 23.6% — which mark he recorded in 2012 while still with Tampa Bay. Last year, with Kansas City, he posted excellent numbers, both of the fielding-independent and also just normal run-prevention varieties. His 19.2% strikeout rate, however, was actually slightly below the major-league average figure. Over 10 starts and 62.1 innings this season, however, Shields has exhibited a different level of success in this regard. Regard, his current strikeout rate: 31.5%. Regard, his current swinging-strike rate, also: an unambiguously career-best mark of 15.0%. Among the possible explanations one is able to produce by means of brief and haphazard research: Shields’ curveball is generating an unprecedented rate of swings and misses — about 20 of them for every 100 curves thrown — and he’s utilizing the pitch more often.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: San Diego Television.

Two Brief Notes
Regarding Carlos Rodon
To the extent that one can say of any pitcher that he’s likely to have a successful career, one can say of White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon that he’s likely to have a successful career. He features a plus fastball, an even more plus slider, and has exhibited at least reasonable command of those pitches throughout his college and then brief pro careers. He has not exhibited reasonable command of them in the majors, yet, though. Over 16.0 innings as a starter, Rodon has produced just a 57% strike rate — roughly two standard deviations below the league-average rate for starting pitchers. Which, whatever his merits as a pitcher, it’s difficult to have enjoyed them fully in light of the control issues.

Today’s Free Game
Today’s free broadcast features the White Sox-Astros game in which Carlos Rodon himself is scheduled to pitch. It starts at 8:10pm 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. Note that the calculations both for team and game NERD scores have changed recently to better integrate playoff odds into same. Read more about those changes here, if you’re the sort of person accustomed to making poor life decisions.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Ed. Volquez	KC	4	7	7	6	9	CHN	Jake Arrieta	16:05
Chad Bettis	COL	6	3	4	0	6	PHI	Cole Hamels	19:05
Nate Karns	TB	4	5	4	5	3	BAL	Miguel Gonzalez	19:05
Dan Haren	MIA	3	5	6	5	10	NYN	Matt Harvey	19:10
St. Strasburg	WAS	8	5	6	5	4	CIN	Ant.ny DeSclafani	19:10
Steven Wright	BOS	6	5	5	4	3	TEX	Yovani Gallardo	20:05
Ru. de la Rosa	AZ	9	6	6	3	5	MIL	Jimmy Nelson	20:10
Carlos Rodon	CHA	2	0	5	10	8	HOU	Lance McCullers	20:10
Mark Buehrle	TOR	4	8	6	3	7	MIN	Trevor May	20:10
Mike Bolsinger	LAN	7	7	6	6	3	STL	John Lackey	20:15
Anibal Sanchez	DET	6	6	5	6	3	LAA	Hector Santiago	22:05
Chris Capuano*	NYA	6	7	6	5	7	OAK	Sonny Gray	22:05
Trevor Bauer	CLE	6	8	6	6	6	SEA	Taijuan Walker	22:10
Francisco Liriano	PIT	8	7	7	3	9	SD	James Shields	22:10
M. Foltynewicz	ATL	6	2	4	5	3	SF	Tim Hudson	22:15

* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.