NERD Game Scores for Friday, September 19, 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
Detroit at Kansas City | 20:10 ET
Justin Verlander (190.2 IP, 112 xFIP-, 2.7 WAR) faces Jason Vargas (179.2 IP, 104 xFIP-, 2.7 WAR). In the event that one were interested in consuming a game between two clubs separated by almost nothing at the top of their respective division and with similar odds of winning that same division, then one would be — perhaps already is, without the aid of this brief paragraph — interested in consuming this particular game, so far as it fits the aforementioned criteria. Those with less interest in high-leverage baseball should consider directing their attention to almost every other game tonight.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Detroit Radio.

Lone, Brief Note
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Milwaukee at 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. 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.

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Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Clayton Kershaw	LAN	10	4	5	4	5	CHN	Edwin Jackson	14:20
Allen Webster	BOS	3	3	4	4	7	BAL	Kevin Gausman	19:05
Yovani Gallardo	MIL	4	4	6	10	6	PIT	Jeff Locke	19:05
Mark Buehrle	TOR	5	4	4	3	5	NYA	Hiroki Kuroda	19:05
Jose Quintana	CHA	7	3	4	4	4	TB	Jer’my Hellickson	19:10
Doug Fister	WAS	6	4	4	4	5	MIA	Tom Koehler	19:10
Zack Wheeler	NYN	9	3	5	4	7	ATL	Julio Teheran	19:35
Chase Anderson	AZ	6	3	4	4	5	COL	Jordan Lyles	20:10
Trevor Bauer	CLE	6	4	5	4	10	MIN	Phil Hughes	20:10
Justin Verlander	DET	5	8	8	10	6	KC	Jason Vargas	20:10
Taijuan Walker*	SEA	7	7	5	4	3	HOU	Brad Peacock	20:10
David Holmberg*	CIN	4	3	5	5	8	STL	John Lackey	20:15
David Buchanan	PHI	5	3	7	10	8	OAK	Jon Lester	21:35
Lisalverto Bonilla*	TEX	4	3	4	4	3	LAA	Hector Santiago	22:05
Tim Hudson	SF	6	10	6	3	4	SD	Odris. Despaigne	22:10

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