NERD Game Scores for Friday, May 9, 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.

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Most Highly Rated Game
St. Louis at Pittsburgh | 19:05 ET
Michael Wacha (42.1 IP, 82 xFIP-, 0.9 WAR) faces Francisco Liriano (37.2 IP, 98 xFIP-, 0.2 WAR). The former has improved upon both the (average-ish) zone and (above-average) swinging-strike rates he recorded last year in about a third of a season’s worth of starts. Of note with regard to Pittsburgh is the performance thus far of Pedro Alvarez. After four consecutive seasons of having recorded strikeout rates between 30% and 31%, the very powerful third baseman has posted just a 21.1% mark in a ca. 150 plate appearances — including walk and strikeout rates of 13.8% and 10.3%, respectively, over the past week.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: St. Louis Radio.

MLB.TV Free Game
Unknown at Unknown | ??:?? ET
Today’s free game hadn’t been announced as of the time at which the sloth-ridden author finished composing the present post. Updates may or may not follow, depending on the strength of said author’s weakness.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: .

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.

NERD Thing

Away   SP Tm. Gm. Tm. SP   Home Time
Scott Feldman HOU 0 6 3 3 5 BAL Wei-Yin Chen 19:05
Michael Wacha STL 10 3 8 7 7 PIT Francisco Liriano 19:05
Garrett Richards LAA 7 10 5 6 0 TOR Dustin McGowan 19:07
Phil Hughes MIN 7 5 5 5 4 DET Justin Verlander 19:08
Corey Kluber CLE 8 4 6 7 4 TB Jake Odorizzi 19:10
Jhoulys Chacin* COL 4 10 7 4 9 CIN Johnny Cueto 19:10
R. Hernandez PHI 5 3 5 2 6 NYN Jenrry Mejia 19:10
Jason Hammel CHN 5 5 5 7 5 ATL Julio Teheran 19:35
Clay Buchholz BOS 3 2 4 3 5 TEX Yu Darvish 20:05
Brandon McCarthy AZ 9 5 6 3 3 CHA Andre Rienzo* 20:10
Masahiro Tanaka NYA 10 5 6 5 2 MIL Yovani Gallardo 20:10
Doug Fister* WAS 8 6 5 4 1 OAK Tommy Milone 22:05
Jason Vargas KC 3 3 4 4 5 SEA Brandon Maurer* 22:10
Jose Fernandez MIA 10 8 7 3 6 SD Tyson Ross 22:10
M. Bumgarner SF 7 7 4 5 0 LAN Paul Maholm 22:10

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.

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Evan
10 years ago

MLB At Bat app list Cubs @ Braves as the freebie.