NERD Game Scores for Sunday, May 31, 2015
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
Kansas City at Chicago NL | 14:20 ET
Ventura (54.1 IP, 94 xFIP-) vs. Wada (10.0 IP, 64 xFIP-)
This past Wednesday in the electronic pages, contributor Jeff Zimmerman examined the relationship between pitcher velocity and a number of batted-ball types. One revelation from that post: that, as velocity declines, a pitcher is likely to concede more home runs per batted ball. Or, rendered into the form of the graph, this:

The discovery is both (a) not shocking but also (b) of some assistance to understanding the relationship between the gap (whether positive or negative) which certain pitchers exhibit between their expected FIP (xFIP) and ERA numbers. While xFIP relies on the supposition that home-run allowance will regress to a league-average rate, what Zimmerman’s work suggests is that pitchers who feature higher than average fastball velocities are likely to outperform their xFIPs; those who feature lower than average velocities, to underperform them. Of some relevance, is this, to Cubs starter Tsuyoshi Wada, who (a) is a candidate to produce impressive fielding-independent numbers, but also (b) sits at only about 89 mph.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Chicago NL Television.
A Single, Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Los Angeles NL at St. Louis, starts at 2:15pm 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. 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 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Phelps | MIA | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | NYN | Bartolo Colon | 13:10 |
Tanner Roark* | WAS | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | CIN | Michael Lorenzen | 13:10 |
Jordan Lyles | COL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | PHI | Jerome Williams | 13:35 |
Jake Odorizzi | TB | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | BAL | Chris Tillman | 13:35 |
Chase Anderson | AZ | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 6 | MIL | Tyler Wagner* | 14:10 |
John Danks | CHA | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 | HOU | Rob.o Hernandez | 14:10 |
Drew Hutchison | TOR | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 5 | MIN | Ricky Nolasco | 14:10 |
Brett Anderson | LAN | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | STL | Carlos Martinez | 14:15 |
Yo. Ventura | KC | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | CHN | Tsuyoshi Wada* | 14:20 |
Joe Kelly | BOS | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | TEX | Wandy Rodriguez | 15:05 |
Julio Teheran | ATL | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | SF | Ma.n Bumgarner | 16:05 |
Adam Warren | NYA | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | OAK | Jesse Chavez | 16:05 |
Danny Salazar | CLE | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | SEA | J.A. Happ | 16:10 |
David Price | DET | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | LAA | Matt Shoemaker | 20:05 |
Jeff Locke | PIT | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | SD | Od.r Despaigne | 21:10 |
* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Ouch. White Sox with a big fat zero Team NERD.