NERD Game Scores for Monday, August 18, 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
Atlanta at Pittsburgh | 19:05 ET
Ervin Santana (150.0 IP, 89 xFIP-, 2.7 WAR) faces Vance Worley (68.0 IP, 98 xFIP-, 0.7 WAR). The Atlantans and the Pittsburghers find themselves in nearly identical positions entering what the author would probably find is a three-game series had he the will to look up that sort of information. Regard: neither team has better than 10% odds of winning their respective division. And continue regarding: both clubs possess 20-25% odds of qualifying for the divisional series. Considerable, in other words, is how much importance this game has inside it.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Atlanta Radio.

Two Brief Note
Season Debut: Knuckleballer Steven Wright
Right-handed Boston prospect and also knuckleballer Steven Wright was recalled and also then pitched four innings on Sunday. His line (box): 4.0 IP, 15 TBF, 4 K, 0 BB, 63.6% GB, 1.76 xFIP.

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Arizona at Washington, 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.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Kyle Hendricks	CHN	6	4	4	2	6	NYN	Bartolo Colon	12:10
Vidal Nuno	AZ	4	3	5	4	10	WAS	J. Zimmermann	19:05
Ervin Santana	ATL	8	7	7	7	5	PIT	Vance Worley	19:05
Roenis Elias	SEA	6	7	5	3	4	PHI	Jer. Williams*	19:05
C.J. Wilson	LAA	4	7	4	3	2	BOS	B. Workman	19:10
Bud Norris	BAL	3	5	5	2	10	CHA	Chris Sale	20:10
Jason Vargas	KC	4	10	6	3	5	MIN	Trevor May*	20:10
Mike Leake	CIN	6	2	6	9	5	STL	Justin Masterson	20:15

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