NERD Game Scores for Saturday, May 24, 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 Piitsburgh | 19:10 ET
Stephen Strasburg (61.1 IP, 67 xFIP-, 1.7 WAR) faces Gerrit Cole (58.2 IP, 89 xFIP-, 0.4 WAR) — which pitchers are ranked ninth and fourth, respectively, by average fastball velocity among qualified starters. Regarding Strasburg, specifically, both his Steamer and ZiPS updated end-of-season lines indicate that he’s likely to surpass his career-best 4.1 WAR mark from 2012.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Washington Radio.

Three Brief Notes
Regarding Kluber, What He Is Currently
One thing that Corey Kluber currently is, is second among all pitchers by WAR.

Regarding Kluber, What Else He Is Currently
Another thing Corey Kluber is — according to celebrity philosopher Slavoj Žižek, at least — is the “spectre [that’s] haunting Western academia.”

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game hadn’t been announced as of press time, but 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
Corey Kluber	CLE	9	5	6	4	4	BAL	Ubaldo Jimenez	12:35
Jesse Chavez	OAK	7	6	7	7	8	TOR	R.A. Dickey	13:07
Vidal Nuno	NYA	2	5	3	3	2	CHA	John Danks	14:10
Dan Haren	LAN	5	6	5	2	5	PHI	David Buchanan*	15:05
Nick Martinez	TEX	3	2	5	5	7	DET	Rick Porcello	16:08
Josh Collmenter	AZ	2	5	4	2	6	NYN	Zack Wheeler	16:10
Jake Peavy	BOS	1	3	5	6	10	TB	David Price	16:10
Juan Nicasio	COL	3	9	5	7	6	ATL	Mike Minor	16:10
Wily Peralta	MIL	8	4	7	9	7	MIA	Jacob Turner	16:10
James Shields	KC	6	3	6	8	7	LAA	Matt Shoemaker*	19;15
Jaime Garcia*	STL	8	3	5	2	3	CIN	Tony Cingrani	19:15
St. Strasburg	WAS	10	5	9	6	10	PIT	Gerrit Cole	19:15
Sam Deduno*	MIN	5	4	4	6	1	SF	Ryan Vogelsong	22:05
Travis Wood	CHN	4	5	5	5	5	SD	Billy Buckner*	22:10
B. Oberholtzer	HOU	4	8	4	5	3	SEA	Brandon Maurer	22:10

To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.