NERD Game Scores for Thursday, May 19, 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
Washington at New York NL | 19:10 ET
Strasburg (55.0 IP, 73 xFIP-) vs. Harvey (45.2 IP, 95 xFIP-)
What one finds here is a game with considerable promise. Two elite pitcher with easy plus velocity. Two strong clubs, each of which currently possess greater than a 45% chance of winning the division. “Garden-variety excellence,” one might be inclined to call it. Unless, that is, the garden has been started by the author. In which case, the garden is much less impressive. Because the tomato seedlings haven’t even sprouted their true leaves yet. Even though it’s been, like, three weeks. Because he used these peat pots from Agway instead of a plastic starter tray. Even though the gardening book was pretty explicit about don’t use peat pots.
Two Other Brief Notes
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game is also the Nationals-Mets game cited above. It can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.
Broadcaster Rankings
Recently, the present author began the process of process of reproducing the broadcaster rankings which appeared on this site roughly four years ago. The third installment of the results from that effort appeared yesterday.
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.
| Away | SP | TM | GM | TM | SP | Home | Time | ||
| Nate Karns | SEA | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | BAL | Tyler Wilson | 12:35 |
| Jason Hammel | CHN | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | MIL | Junior Guerra | 13:40 |
| Mike Foltynewicz | ATL | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | PIT | Jeff Locke | 19:05 |
| Josh Tomlin | CLE | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | CIN | Tim Adleman | 19:10 |
| Stephen Strasburg | WAS | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | NYN | Matt Harvey | 19:10 |
| Jon Gray | COL | 10 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | STL | Michael Wacha | 19:15 |
| Collin McHugh | HOU | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 8 | CHA | Chris Sale | 20:10 |
| Marco Estrada | TOR | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | MIN | Ervin Santana | 20:10 |
| Jeff Samardzija | SF | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | SD | James Shields | 21:10 |
| Ross Stripling | LAN | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 8 | LAA | Jhoulys Chacin | 22:05 |
| Ivan Nova | NYA | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | OAK | Kendall Graveman | 22:05 |
TM denotes team score.
GM denotes overall game score.
Highlighted portion denotes game of the day.
* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of clueless author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.