NERD Game Scores for Sunday, September 6, 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
Minnesota at Houston | 14:10 ET
Duffey (25.2 IP, 114 xFIP-) vs. Keuchel (192.2 IP, 68 xFIP-)
The first installment in this series was a legitimately entertaining one, featuring a combined 19 strikeouts from the starters, a bases-loaded diving catch by Byron Buxton to end the game, and the highest average leverage index among all Saturday’s contests by some margin — a fact illustrated somewhat unnecessarily by the table below.
| Game | aLI | |
| 1 | MIN @ HOU | 1.74 |
| 2 | TEX @ LAA | 1.36 |
| 3 | TBR @ NYY | 1.29 |
| 4 | MIL @ CIN | 1.25 |
| 5 | LAD @ SDP | 1.23 |
Can one guarantee that this afternoon’s encounter will offer the same combination of thrill and delight? Of course not. Indeed, as research shows, only three things are certain in this world: death, taxes, and uncles who, upon being asked to estimate the likelihood of such-and-such an event, declare that there are only two things which are certain this world.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Houston Television.
Another Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Milwaukee at Cincinnati, starts at 13:10 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 adjustments here and here.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Archer | TB | 10 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 2 | NYA | Ivan Nova | 13:05 |
| Chris Tillman | BAL | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | TOR | Marco Estrada | 13:07 |
| Cody Anderson | CLE | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | DET | Justin Verlander | 13:08 |
| Jimmy Nelson | MIL | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | CIN | Mi. Lorenzen | 13:10 |
| Steven Matz | NYN | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | MIA | Jarred Cosart | 13:10 |
| Manuel Banuelos | ATL | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | WAS | Joe Ross | 13:35 |
| Jerad Eickhoff | PHI | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | BOS | Eduardo Rodriguez | 13:35 |
| Erik Johnson* | CHA | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | KC | Johnny Cueto | 14:10 |
| Tyler Duffey | MIN | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | 14:10 |
| Rubby de la Rosa | AZ | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8 | CHN | Kyle Hendricks | 14:20 |
| Colby Lewis | TEX | 3 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 3 | LAA | Hector Santiago | 15:35 |
| Hisashi Iwakuma | SEA | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | OAK | Sean Nolin* | 16:05 |
| Brett Anderson | LAN | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | SD | Andrew Cashner | 16:10 |
| Ma.n Bumgarner | SF | 10 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | COL | Yohan Flande | 16:10 |
| Gerrit Cole | PIT | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | STL | John Lackey | 20:05 |
* = 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.
Kris Bryant just hit the longest homer of the season. 500 footer. Bada-bing!