NERD Game Scores for July 24, 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
Boston at Seattle | 22:10 ET
Rodriguez (66.1 IP, 96 xFIP-) vs. Paxton (94.1 IP, 79 xFIP-)
The author’s haphazardly calculated algorithm has identified this evening’s Boston-Seattle game as the day’s most compelling. Largely because of James Paxton, is the reason for that. The left-hander has been a nearly perfect pithcing specimen. Because, regard: not only has Paxton produced top-10 fastball-velocity and pitching-independent figures among the 150 starters who’ve compiled 50-plus innings, but he’s also recorded one of the fastest paces among pitchers in that same sample. The leverage of this game for Boston is also notable. According to this site’s coin-flip methodology — which seems to best reflect how the dumb human brain works — the Red Sox possess almost exactly a 50% chance of making the playoffs.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Boston Radio.

Another Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Chicago AL at Chicago NL, starts at 14:20 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.