NERD Game Scores for Sunday, May 25, 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
Houston at Seattle | 16:10 ET
Dallas Keuchel (61.2 IP, 70 xFIP-, 1.6) faces Hisashi Iwakuma (30.2 IP, 82 xFIP-, 0.8 WAR). Were the reader interested in regarding two of the major leagues’ most productive pitches this afternoon, he or she has the opportunity to do so by way of the present game. The former’s two-seam fastball has created more pitch-type runs than any other starters’ who’s also recorded at 30 innings. Meanwhile, despite having missed all of April, the latter has produced the third-most such runs by way of his splitter.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Whatever Whatever Whatever.

Two Brief Notes
Regarding Verlander, His Velocity by Year
Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander, starting at home today against Texas, has thus far recorded the lowest average fastball velocity of his career. Here’s a table documenting that figure for every one of his full professional seasons, accompanied by the rank of same relative to all qualified pitchers.

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
D. Pomeranz*	OAK	6	5	5	7	3	TOR	J.A. Happ*	13:07
Colby Lewis	TEX	4	2	4	5	3	DET	Justin Verlander	13:08
Bronson Arroyo	AZ	6	5	6	3	6	NYN	Rafael Montero*	13:10
Zeke Spruill*	AZ	5	5	4	3	3	NYN	D’suke Matsuzaka*	TBD
Jimmy Nelson*	MIL	8	5	7	9	6	MIA	Randy Wolf*	13:10
Trevor Bauer*	CLE	6	5	5	4	4	BAL	Miguel Gonzalez	13:35
Josh Beckett	LAN	4	6	3	2	1	PHI	A.J. Burnett	13:35
Doug Fister*	WAS	7	5	7	6	7	PIT	Francisco Liriano	13:35
Brand. Workman	BOS	7	2	6	5	6	TB	Jake Odorizzi	13:40
M. Tanaka	NYA	10	5	6	3	2	CHA	Andre Rienzo	14:10
Jason Vargas	KC	4	3	6	9	7	LAA	Garrett Richards	15:35
Ricky Nolasco	MIN	4	4	6	6	8	SF	M. Bumgarner	16:05
Jason Hammel	CHN	6	5	7	6	8	SD	Ian Kennedy	16:10
Dallas Keuchel	HOU	9	7	7	4	6	SEA	Hisashi Iwakuma	16:10
Franklin Morales	COL	3	9	5	7	5	ATL	Julio Teheran	17:10
A. Wainwright	STL	6	3	5	3	5	CIN	Mike Leake	20:05

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