NERD Game Scores for July 4, 2017

July 4, 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.

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Most Highly Rated Game
Arizona at Los Angeles NL | 21:10 ET
Corbin (90.2 IP, 94 xFIP-) vs. Kershaw (116.1 IP, 66 xFIP-)
The Dodgers currently possess the second-best offense in the majors and also the fourth-best defense in the majors. Or, at the very least, they’ve recorded the second-best offensive and fourth-best defensive marks so far. In either case, it’s not surprising they currently occupy first place in the NL West. What might be surprising is that the D-backs are situated just 2.5 games behind them in that division despite having recorded less strong offensive and defensive marks. Probability suggests that they’ll finish the evening either 1.5 or 3.5 games behind.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Los Angeles NL Television.

Another Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features New York NL at Washington, starts at 11:05 ET, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.

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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.

NERD Scores for July 4, 2017

Away		SP	TM	GM	TM	SP		Home	Time
Seth Lugo	NYN	3	5	5	5	7	WAS	Joe Ross	11:05
J.A. Happ	TOR	7	3	6	8	5	NYA	CC Sabathia	13:05
Matt Cain	SF	2	2	4	3	8	DET	Michael Fulmer	13:10
JC Ramirez	LAA	7	3	4	5	2	MIN	Kyle Gibson	14:10
Jose Urena	MIA	3	4	4	4	3	STL	Lance Lynn	14:15
Chris Archer	TB	9	7	7	7	6	CHN	Jon Lester	14:20
James Shields	CHA	0	4	4	4	7	OAK	Daniel Gossett	16:05
Jameson Taillon	PIT	8	3	5	3	5	PHI	Mark Leiter	16:05
Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	1	3	5	8	8	MIL	Jimmy Nelson	16:10
Danny Duffy	KC	4	4	4	3	7	SEA	Felix Hernandez	18:40
Trevor Cahill	SD	9	5	8	7	10	CLE	Corey Kluber	19:10
Brad Peacock	HOU	8	5	6	3	8	ATL	Sean Newcomb	19:35
David Price	BOS	3	6	5	5	6	TEX	Yu Darvish	20:05
Homer Bailey*	CIN	4	6	5	5	3	COL	Kyle Freeland	20:10
Patrick Corbin	AZ	7	9	9	9	10	LAN	Clayton Kershaw	21:10

SP denotes pitcher NERD score.
TM denotes team score.
GM denotes overall game score.
Highlighted portion denotes game of the day.

* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of doomed author.