NERD Game Scores for Saturday, July 23, 2016
Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman 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 NL at Miami | 19:10 ET
deGrom (102.0 IP, 81 xFIP-) vs. Fernandez (113.2 IP, 53 xFIP-)
Given where each club currently resides within this site’s playoff-odds projections, it’s probable that either the Mets or Marlins will qualify for some manner of postseason appearance. It’s improbable, on the other hand, that both will qualify. In this way, tonight’s game resembles that scene from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome where two men enter and then only one man leaves. How it differs from that 1985 film is that, instead of taking place in a lawless, post-apocalyptic Australian hellscape, it’ll actually just be in Miami.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: New York NL Television.
One Other Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Arizona at Cincinnati, starts at 19:10 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 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.
| Away | SP | TM | GM | TM | SP | Home | Time | ||
| Hisashi Iwakuma | SEA | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 13:07 |
| Aaron Nola | PHI | 10 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 9 | PIT | Tyler Glasnow* | 16:05 |
| Jeff Samardzija | SF | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | NYA | Ivan Nova | 16:05 |
| Josh Tomlin | CLE | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 19:05 |
| Edwin Jackson* | SD | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | WAS | Max Scherzer | 19:05 |
| Robbie Ray | AZ | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | CIN | Keyvius Sampson* | 19:10 |
| John Lackey | CHN | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 6 | MIL | Zachary Davies | 19:10 |
| Matt Boyd | DET | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 8 | CHA | Chris Sale | 19:10 |
| Jered Weaver | LAA | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | HOU | Collin McHugh | 19:10 |
| Ricky Nolasco | MIN | 5 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | BOS | David Price | 19:10 |
| Jacob deGrom | NYN | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | MIA | Jose Fernandez | 19:10 |
| Kenta Maeda | LAN | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | STL | Mike Leake | 19:15 |
| Cole Hamels | TEX | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 6 | KC | Yordano Ventura | 19:15 |
| Matt Wisler | ATL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | COL | Tyler Anderson | 20:10 |
| Drew Smyly | TB | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | OAK | Kendall Graveman | 21:05 |
TM denotes team score.
GM denotes overall game score.
Highlighted portion denotes game of the day.
* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of clueless author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
How it differs from that 1985 film is that, instead of taking place in a lawless, post-apocalyptic hellscape, it’s actually just a movie.