NERD Game Scores for Saturday, June 18, 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
Cincinnati at Houston | 16:10 ET
Reed (MLB Debut) vs. Keuchel (87.2 IP, 81 xFIP-)
There’s not what one might call a “surfeit” of compelling reasons either to have watched or continue watching the Cincinnati Reds this year. They’ve recorded among the league’s worst offensive numbers this season, and the actual worst pitching ones. Their 27-41 record, already poor, is roughly five wins better than their BaseRuns numbers suggest it ought to be. If the Reds have succeed this year, it’s only at reminding the public that life is fleeting; joy, ephemeral.
What this game represents, however, is the major-league debut of left-hander Cody Reed — the sort of player, it seems, who might be partially responsible for that moment when the club returns to adequacy. Reed, who has produced strong numbers this year to complement his above-average arm speed, is well acquitted both by Chris Mitchell’s computer numbers and Eric Longenhagen’s scouting report.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Houston Radio.
Two Other Brief Notes
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Los Angeles AL at Oakland, starts at 16:05 ET, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.
Broadcaster Rankings
Recently, the present author facilitated a crowdsourcing effort to reproduce the broadcaster rankings which appeared on this site roughly four years ago. The updated results for television broadcasts are available by means of this hyperlinked text; for radio, by means of this other 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 | ||
| Michael Pineda | NYA | 9 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | MIN | Ricky Nolasco | 14:10 |
| Zack Greinke | AZ | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 6 | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | 15:05 |
| Tim Lincecum* | LAA | 10 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 7 | OAK | Andrew Triggs* | 16:05 |
| Adrian Sampson* | SEA | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | BOS | Rick Porcello | 16:05 |
| R.A. Dickey | TOR | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | 16:05 |
| Cody Reed* | CIN | 10 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | 16:10 |
| Tyler Chatwood | COL | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | 16:10 |
| Albert Suarez | SF | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | TB | Matt Moore | 16:10 |
| Nick Martinez* | TEX | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | STL | Carlos Martinez | 16:15 |
| James Shields | CHA | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | CLE | Danny Salazar | 18:10 |
| Aaron Blair | ATL | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 10 | NYN | Steven Matz | 20:15 |
| Matt Boyd | DET | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | KC | Edinson Volquez | 20:15 |
| Jon Niese | PIT | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | CHN | Jon Lester | 20:15 |
| Chase Anderson | MIL | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | LAN | Mike Bolsinger | 22:10 |
| Max Scherzer | WAS | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | SD | Colin Rea | 22:10 |
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.
Even Timmy Jim’s return can’t bring the Angels to the top of the NERD score table