NERD Game Scores for Sunday, May 29, 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
Boston at Toronto | 13:07 ET
Price (62.1 IP, 70 xFIP-) vs. Dickey (60.2 IP, 99 xFIP-)
Research indicates that knuckleballers typically prevent runs at a rate better their fielding-independent numbers would suggest. R.A. Dickey, whom the reader will recognize as a knuckleballer, is no exception to this rule. Between 2010 (when he began throwing the pitch at about the current rate) and 2015, Dickey produced a 102 xFIP- but 89 ERA- — which is to say, an expected FIP about 2% worse than average, but an ERA about 11% better than average. In 2016, the figures are inverted. Dickey’s recorded a 99 xFIP- and 110 ERA-. “What’s happening?” one is likely asking — about not only R.A. Dickey, probably, but also about this entire frightening world.
Readers’ Preferred Television Broadcast: Boston.
Two Other Brief Notes
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 when it becomes available.
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 results from that effort — for television broadcasts, at least — are available 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 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 | ||
| David Price | BOS | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 10 | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 13:07 |
| Chris Tillman | BAL | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | CLE | Mike Clevinger | 13:10 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | NYA | 10 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | TB | Jake Odorizzi | 13:10 |
| Michael Wacha | STL | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | WAS | Stephen Strasburg | 13:35 |
| Brandon Finnegan | CIN | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | MIL | Jimmy Nelson | 14:10 |
| Chris Sale | CHA | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | KC | Edinson Volquez | 14:15 |
| Vince Velasquez | PHI | 8 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 8 | CHN | John Lackey | 14:20 |
| Francisco Liriano | PIT | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | TEX | Martin Perez | 15:05 |
| Doug Fister | HOU | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | LAA | Nick Tropeano | 15:35 |
| Mike Pelfrey | DET | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | OAK | Rich Hill | 16:05 |
| Ricky Nolasco | MIN | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | SEA | Taijuan Walker | 16:10 |
| Drew Pomeranz | SD | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 2 | AZ | Archie Bradley | 16:10 |
| Johnny Cueto | SF | 8 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 | COL | Chris Rusin | 16:10 |
| Tom Koehler | MIA | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | ATL | Julio Teheran | 17:05 |
| Clayton Kershaw | LAN | 10 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | NYN | Bartolo Colon | 20:00 |
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.
If NERD gives RA Dickey a boost because he is inherently interesting because of the knuckleball, then in the interests of measuring viewer interest Bartolo Colon has to get an extra couple of points somehow.