NERD Game Scores for Saturday, July 26, 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
Washington at Cincinnati | 16:05 ET
Gio Gonzalez (86.2 IP, 99 xFIP-, 1.4 WAR) faces Johnny Cueto (148.2 IP, 84 xFIP-, 2.8 WAR). Of some (perhaps trivial) interest regarding the Washington Nationals: the club features three players (Anthony Rendon, Denard Span, and Jayson Werth) to have produced more than four runs by means of baserunning — a fifth of all major leaguers, that total, to have crossed the four-run threshold by that measure this season.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Washington Radio.
Two Brief Notes
Belated Debut Information: Seattle’s Chris Taylor
Seattle infield prospect Chris Taylor, recognized on Tuesday in these pages for possessing the highest projected WAR among all rookie-eligible players, made his major-league debut on Thursday and is expected to start the majority of Seattle’s games, for the time being, at shortstop.
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game hasn’t been announced as of press time, but can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text at such a time as it becomes available.
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.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Hutchison | TOR | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | NYA | Chris Capuano* | 13:05 |
| Shelby Miller | STL | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | CHN | Jake Arrieta | 16:05 |
| Gio Gonzalez | WAS | 6 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 8 | CIN | Johnny Cueto | 16:05 |
| Bud Norris | BAL | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | SEA | Chris Young | 16:10 |
| Josh Collmenter | AZ | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 9 | PHI | Cliff Lee | 19:05 |
| John Lackey | BOS | 8 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5 | TB | J’my Hellickson* | 19:10 |
| Chris Sale | CHA | 10 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | MIN | Logan Darnell* | 19:10 |
| Zach McAllister | CLE | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | KC | Jeremy Guthrie | 19:10 |
| Tom Koehler | MIA | 3 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | HOU | Jarred Cosart | 19:10 |
| Jon Niese | NYN | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 7 | MIL | Wily Peralta | 19:10 |
| Od. Despaigne | SD | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ATL | Julio Teheran | 19:10 |
| Sonny Gray | OAK | 7 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | TEX | Nick Tepesch | 20:05 |
| Jeff Locke | PIT | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5 | COL | Tyler Matzek | 20:10 |
| Justin Verlander | DET | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | LAA | M. Shoemaker | 21:05 |
| Clayton Kershaw | LAN | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | SF | Ryan Vogelsong | 21:05 |
To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Chris Taylor is a good one, even if his Oliver projections are totally schizophrenic.