NERD Game Scores for July 16, 2017

Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric forefather 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.

How are they calculated? Haphazardly, is how. An explanation of the components and formulae which produce these NERD scores is available here. All objections to the numbers here are probably justified, on account of how this entire endeavor is absurd.

Most Highly Rated Game
New York AL at Boston | 20:05 ET
Tanaka (102.0 IP, 88 xFIP-) vs. Price (53.0 IP, 104 xFIP-)
Were the season only a month or two old, the author’s haphazardly constructed algorithm would have likely identified this afternoon’s Giants-Padres games as the day’s most promising — based, that, on what appears to be that contest’s superior pitching matchup (based on 2017 performance, at least). However! As the season continues, the aforementioned algorithm weighs more heavily the seasonal leverage of the clubs involved. San Francisco and San Diego, possessing no reasonable chance of qualifying for the postseason, are playing what amounts to a well-attended exhibition game today. As for New York and Boston, however, each possesses a very reasonable chance, thus making the consequences of any one game (such as this one) much greater.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Boston Radio.

Another Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Texas at Kansas City, starts at 14:15 ET, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.

Complete Schedule
Here’s the complete and also sortable table for all of today’s games. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and the rest of the internet. Note that calculations both for team and game NERD scores feature adjustment for postseason odds that increases as season progresses. Read more about those adjustments here and here.