NERD Game Scores for Thursday, August 11, 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
New York AL at Boston | 19:10 ET
Pineda (125.1 IP, 77 xFIP-) vs. Rodriguez (57.2 IP, 115 xFIP-)
When the author’s haphazardly constructed algorithm for determining the watchability of a game recommends a Red Sox-Yankees contest as the day’s most promising — when that sort of thing happens, I understand the disappointment Victor Frankenstein must have experienced when faced with the great disaster of his experiment. Like Frankenstein, I’m abhorred by my creation. Like Frankenstein, I would probably not mind if it incinerated itself at “the Northernmost extremity of the globe.” But it’s only an algorithm. So it can’t even do that.

On the plus side, hot, hot, hot prospect Andrew Benintendi is likely to start once again tonight.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Boston Radio.

One Other Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features St. Louis at Chicago NL, starts at 20:05 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 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.