NERD Game Scores for Thursday, May 15, 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
San Diego at Cincinnati | 12:35 ET
Ian Kennedy (49.0 IP, 71 xFIP-, 1.3 WAR) faces Johnny Cueto (63.0 IP, 71 xFIP-, 1.1 WAR). In addition to having produced uncharacteristically excellent defense-independent numbers, the latter has also recorded a 99.5% left-on-base rate. By comparison, league average typically sits at ca. 73%. For further comparison, the best single-season mark among qualified starters since 2002 is 85.2%, care of then-Philadelphian J.A. Happ.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Cincinnati Radio.
Two Brief Notes
Pitching Debutants Debuting in Queens, New York
The starters for both the Mets and Yankees make their respective major-league debuts today. One can read incrementally more about that in today’s edition of the Prospect Watch.
Cleveland-Toronto Is Today’s Free Game
It begins at 7:07pm 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.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Kennedy | SD | 8 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 9 | CIN | Johnny Cueto | 12:35 |
| Tyson Ross | SD | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | CIN | Undecided* | 18:10 |
| Clay Buchholz | BOS | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | MIN | Phil Hughes | 13:10 |
| Wandy Rodriguez | PIT | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 2 | MIL | Yovani Gallardo | 13:10 |
| Jason Hammel | CHN | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 10 | STL | Michael Wacha | 13:45 |
| Danny Salazar | CLE | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | TOR | J.A. Happ* | 19:07 |
| Chase Whitley* | NYA | 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 6 | NYN | Jacob DeGrom* | 19:10 |
| Wei-Yin Chen | BAL | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 10 | KC | Yordano Ventura | 20:10 |
| Erik Bedard | TB | 0 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | LAA | Tyler Skaggs | 22:05 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | MIA | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 3 | SF | Matt Cain | 22:15 |
To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.