NERD Game Scores for Saturday, September 27, 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
Oakland at Texas | 20:05 ET
Jeff Samardzija (212.2 IP, 83 xFIP-, 4.1 WAR) faces Derek Holland (34.1 IP, 96 xFIP-, 1.3 WAR). With some combination of an Oakland win or Seattle loss, the former of those clubs will clinch the second wild-card spot in the American League. With a combination both of a Texas loss and Colorado win, the former of those clubs will move closer to securing the third-overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft — as illustrated, that, by MLB Trade Rumors’ helpful reverse standings.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Texas Radio.
Two Brief Notes
Regarding Unresolved Divisional Outcomes, The Remaining Ones
The purpose of this brief note is to announce that both the AL and NL Central divisions have yet to produce a winner. For this reason, one might find some pleasure in consuming a game involving any of the following clubs: Detroit, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, or St. Louis.
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game is all of the games, which 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 the calculations both for team and game NERD scores have changed recently to better integrate playoff odds into same. Read more about those changes here, if you’re the sort of person accustomed to making poor life decisions.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masa. Tanaka | NYA | 10 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | BOS | Joe Kelly | 13:05 |
| Francisco Liriano | PIT | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 6 | CIN | Alfredo Simon | 13:05 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | MIA | 10 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 10 | WAS | St. Strasburg | 16:05 |
| Eric Stults | SD | 5 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | SF | Jake Peavy | 16:05 |
| Wei-Yin Chen | BAL | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | TOR | J.A. Happ | 16:07 |
| Alex Colome* | TB | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | CLE | Carlos Carrasco | 18:05 |
| Aaron Harang | ATL | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | PHI | A.J. Burnett | 19:05 |
| Ricky Nolasco | MIN | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | DET | Kyle Lobstein | 19:08 |
| Tsuyoshi Wada | CHN | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8 | MIL | Wily Peralta | 19:10 |
| Samuel Deduno | HOU | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | NYN | Rafael Montero | 19:10 |
| Danny Duffy | KC | 4 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | CHA | John Danks | 19:10 |
| Jeff Samardzija | OAK | 10 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 8 | TEX | Derek Holland | 20:05 |
| Lance Lynn | STL | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | AZ | Wade Miley | 20:10 |
| Eddie Butler* | COL | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | LAN | Dan Haren | 21:10 |
| C.J. Wilson | LAA | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8 | SEA | James Paxton | 21:10 |
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.