NERD Game Scores for Saturday, June 21, 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
Boston at Oakland | 16:05 ET
Rubby de la Rosa (25.1 IP, 76 xFIP-, 0.4 WAR) faces Jesse Chavez (86.0 IP, 89 xFIP-, 1.4 WAR). The former has been excellent over four starts for the Red Sox — those starts, incidentally, representing the first he’s made at the major-league level since 2011. Among the pitchers who have recorded 20-plus innings as a starter, de la Rosa’s park-adjusted xFIP (76 xFIP-), swinging-strike rate (11.2%), and average fastball velocity (94.4 mph) are all more than a standard deviation better than the mean.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Boston Radio.
Two Brief Notes
Regarding Jake Buchanan, Who That Is
Right-hander Jake Buchanan makes his major-league debut tonight for the Astros. Here’s who he is: a former eighth-round selection (2010) out of North Carolina State. Here’s one thing he’s done: mostly produced ground-ball rates between 50% and 60% at the minor-league level, according to StatCorner.
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features the Dodgers and Padres, starts at 10:10pm 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.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Norris | BAL | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | NYA | Vidal Nuno | 13:05 |
| Andre Rienzo | CHA | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | MIN | Kevin Correia | 14:10 |
| Chris Young | SEA | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | KC | Jason Vargas | 14:10 |
| Rubby de la Rosa | BOS | 10 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | OAK | Jesse Chavez | 16:05 |
| Jake Buchanan* | HOU | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | TB | Jake Odorizzi | 16:10 |
| Wily Peralta | MIL | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 5 | COL | Christian Friedrich* | 16:10 |
| Jacob deGrom | NYN | 5 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | MIA | Tom Koehler | 16:10 |
| Cole Hamels | PHI | 7 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 6 | STL | Adam Wainwright | 16:10 |
| J.A. Happ | TOR | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 | CIN | Mike Leake | 16:10 |
| Julio Teheran | ATL | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 5 | WAS | Doug Fister | 19:15 |
| Justin Verlander | DET | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | CLE | Trevor Bauer | 19:15 |
| Vance Worley* | PIT | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | CHN | Travis Wood | 19:15 |
| Nick Martinez | TEX | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | LAA | Jered Weaver | 22:05 |
| Josh Beckett | LAN | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | SD | Tyson Ross | 22:10 |
| Ryan Vogelsong | SF | 2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | AZ | Brandon McCarthy | 22:10 |
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.
So Rubby has officially EARNED his 10 NERD score (not just from the discretion of Le VHA).