NERD Game Scores for Saturday, August 29, 2015
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
New York AL at Atlanta | 19:10 ET
Severino (23.0 IP, 90 xFIP-) vs. Wisler (64.2 IP, 127 xFIP-)
When observing the New York Yankees, one is observing a club afflicted by uncertainty. When observing Luis Severino, meanwhile, one is observing a pitcher engorged by talent. It’s a sort of litmus test — with which, of the two, one finds him- or herself identifying. Only one choice is sane, however.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Atlanta Radio.
Another Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Kansas City at Tampa Bay, starts at 18:10 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 adjustments here and here.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Farmer | DET | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 7 | TOR | Drew Hutchison | 13:07 |
| Joe Kelly | BOS | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | NYN | Jacob deGrom | 16:05 |
| Lance Lynn | STL | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 0 | SF | Ryan Vogelsong | 16:05 |
| Kris Medlen* | KC | 9 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | TB | Jake Odorizzi | 18:10 |
| Chris Rusin | COL | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | PIT | J.A. Happ | 19:05 |
| Tom Koehler | MIA | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | WAS | Jo. Zimmermann | 19:05 |
| Colin Rea | SD | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | PHI | Adam Morgan | 19:05 |
| Keyvius Sampson | CIN | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | MIL | Matt Garza | 19:10 |
| Mike Fiers | HOU | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 2 | MIN | Mike Pelfrey | 19:10 |
| Garrett Richards | LAA | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | CLE | Corey Kluber | 19:10 |
| Luis Severino | NYA | 9 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 4 | ATL | Matthew Wisler | 19:10 |
| Hisashi Iwakuma | SEA | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 7 | CHA | Jeff Samardzija | 19:10 |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | BAL | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | TEX | Martin Perez | 20:05 |
| Aaron Brooks | OAK | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | AZ | Jhoulys Chacin* | 20:10 |
| Jon Lester | CHN | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | LAN | Mat Latos | 21:10 |
* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
How did Houston lose a couple points on their team NERD score? They gained many good players and are at the head of a competitive AL west race.
The playoff picture for Houston get pretty certain (85% to win the division), especially with LAA losing 6 of their last 8 games. The team NERD might go back up if Texas or LAA close the gap, but the projections also don’t buy Texas as much of a threat (they are 4 GB in the division, but have a .490 rosW%).