NERD Game Scores for Sunday, September 28, 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(s)
Minnesota at DETROIT | 13:08 ET
PITTSBURGH at Cincinnati | 13:10 ET
KANSAS CITY at Chicago AL | 14:10 ET
OAKLAND at Texas | 15:05 ET
Los Angeles AL at SEATTLE | 16:10 ET
ST. LOUIS at Arizona | 16:10 ET
Three sets of clubs — each of which is denoted by capital letters above — enter the final day of the season separated by only a game in pursuit of some manner of postseason berth. The Tigers lead the Royals by that amount in the AL Central; the A’s lead the Mariners in the AL Wild Card; and the Cardinals, the Pirates in the NL Central. Notably, the only club which faces elimination today are the Seattles. A loss for them, or an Oakland win, would secure the second wild-card spot for the latter club. A more complete understanding of today’s possible scenarios is available via an inspection of the playoff odds.

Lone, Brief Note
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features is all of the games, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.

Complete Schedule
The most recent iteration of the NERD score algorithm has acquitted itself well to date, but, owing to a lack both of (a) foresight and also (b) general competence on the part of the author, it (i.e. NERD) is incapable of representing the full breadth of drama likely to be facilitated by today’s schedule. Accordingly, that same author has utilized image-editing software to the end of drawing two dramatic red lines over the following table.