NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, June 07, 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
Toronto at Detroit | 19:10 ET
Sanchez (72.1 IP, 79 xFIP-) vs. Boyd (16.0 IP, 93 xFIP-)
On the strength both of excellent statistical indicators and also improved arm speed, left-hander Matt Boyd finished atop the author’s arbitrarily calculated Fringe Five Scoreboard last season. Boyd’s minor-league dominance didn’t “translate seamlessly,” however, to the major leagues: over roughly 60 innings with Toronto and then Detroit, he produced an adjusted xFIP about 30% worse than league average while actually allowing runs at an even faster pace than the fielding-independent numbers would suggest. Not a classic beginning to his career, in other words. Boyd has now recorded two starts for Detroit this season, however, and the results are positive. In 11.1 innings, the 25-year-old has produced a 10:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and overall better-than-average fielding-independent numbers. Of some note, too: 69.9% of his pitches have been strikes, the second-highest figure among pitchers to record 10-plus innings as a starter (behind only Danny Duffy).
Readers’ Preferred Television Broadcast: Detroit.
Two Other Brief Notes
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features the same Toronto and Detroit clubs cited above, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.
Broadcaster Rankings
Recently, the author published the results of a crowdsourcing effort to rank the league’s television broadcasts according to the tastes of this site’s readers. The first installment of the results for radio broadcasters appeared here 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 | ||
| Steven Matz | NYN | 10 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | PIT | Jon Niese | 16:05 |
| Jacob deGrom | NYN | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | PIT | Juan Nicasio | TBD |
| Kyle Hendricks | CHN | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | 19:05 |
| Yordano Ventura | KC | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | BAL | Ubaldo Jimenez | 19:05 |
| David Huff* | LAA | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 9 | NYA | Michael Pineda | 19:05 |
| Mike Leake | STL | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | CIN | John Lamb | 19:10 |
| Aaron Sanchez | TOR | 9 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 10 | DET | Matt Boyd | 19:10 |
| Dallas Keuchel | HOU | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | TEX | Cole Hamels | 20:05 |
| Adam Conley | MIA | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | MIN | Pat Dean | 20:10 |
| Sean Manaea | OAK | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | MIL | Zach Davies | 20:10 |
| Joe Ross | WAS | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | CHA | Mat Latos | 20:10 |
| Matt Moore | TB | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | AZ | Zack Greinke | 21:40 |
| Aaron Blair | ATL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | SD | Colin Rea | 22:10 |
| Cody Anderson | CLE | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | SEA | Wade Miley | 22:10 |
| Eddie Butler | COL | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 10 | LAN | Julio Urias* | 22:10 |
| Rick Porcello | BOS | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | SF | Albert Suarez* | 22:10 |
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.