NERD Game Scores for Friday, September 26, 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
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati | 19:10 ET
Vance Worley (104.1 IP, 96 xFIP-, 1.2 WAR) faces Mike Leake (207.1 IP, 95 xFIP-, 1.8 WAR). The NL Central represents the only division currently in which a second-plus club features odds of winning that division above 5%. Here, by way of illustration, are Pittsburgh’s odds right now, per the methodology used at FanGraphs: 20%. And also the first-place Cardinals’ odds: 80%. Starting for the Pittsburghers is Worley, who possesses, among other virtues, the capacity to delight Jeff Sullivan.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Cincinnati Radio?

Three Brief Notes
Regarding the Giants, Their Playoff Chances
The San Franciscos, while currently possessing exactly 50% odds of qualifying for the divisional series — which fact would appear to suggest that the season’s final three games are of some importance to them — also possess exactly 0% odds of winning the division. They’ve secured a spot in the wild-card game, is why. They appear eligible still to claim home-field advantage in that game, however.

Notable Start: Boston’s Steven Wright
Boston right-hander Steven Wright, scheduled to record his first major-league start of the season, relies substantially on a knuckleball and thus offers all the sorts of pleasure attendant to that sort of pitcher.

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game is actually every game, all of which 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
Jarred Cosart	MIA	6	4	5	4	6	WAS	Doug Fister	13:05
Andrew Heaney	MIA	5	4	4	4	5	WAS	Taylor Hill*	19:05
Ervin Santana	ATL	8	4	5	4	4	PHI	Jer’me Williams	19:05
Chris Archer	TB	7	4	5	4	10	CLE	Corey Kluber	19:05
Chris Tillman	BAL	4	4	5	4	8	TOR	Drew Hutchison	19:07
Ant’ny Swarzak*	MIN	4	4	5	5	7	DET	Rick Porcello	19:08
Brad Peacock	HOU	3	4	4	4	7	NYN	Jon Niese	19:10
Chris Capuano	NYA	5	4	5	4	9	BOS	Steven Wright*	19:10
Vance Worley	PIT	7	10	7	3	7	CIN	Mike Leake	19:10
Scott Kazmir	OAK	7	10	6	4	2	TEX	Nick Tepesch	20:05
Eric Jokisch*	CHN	7	4	5	4	7	MIL	Jimmy Nelson	20:10
Jeremy Guthrie	KC	4	10	6	4	5	CHA	Hector Noesi	20:10
Michael Wacha	STL	9	7	6	4	6	AZ	Trevor Cahill	21:40
Jordan Lyles	COL	5	4	4	4	2	LAN	Rob’o Her’dez	22:10
Jered Weaver	LAA	4	4	5	4	10	SEA	His. Iwakuma	22:10
Ian Kennedy	SD	8	4	7	10	4	SF	Ryan Vog’song	22:15

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