NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, June 17, 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
Toronto at New York AL | 19:05 ET
Marcus Stroman (24.1 IP, 87 xFIP-, 0.6 WAR) faces Masahiro Tanaka (93.2 IP, 62 xFIP-, 2.8 WAR). The latter has produced not only the highest WAR among rookie pitchers by a considerable margin, but also the third-highest WAR among all pitchers. He faces the offense which has recorded the best park-adjusted batting line among major-league clubs.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Toronto Radio?
Two Brief Notes
Regarding Toronto, Another Fact Concerning That Team
Another fact regarding the Blue Jays is that they currently possess the highest probability of winning the AL East — about 70% as of Tuesday morning, or roughly 60 percentage points better than the next-best club.
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Baltimore at Tampa Bay, starts at 7:10pm 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Stults | SD | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | SEA | Roenis Elias | 15:40 |
| Johnny Cueto | CIN | 9 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | PIT | Brand. Cumpton | 19:05 |
| Dallas Keuchel | HOU | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | WAS | Tanner Roark | 19:05 |
| Matt Shoemaker | LAA | 9 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | CLE | Josh Tomlin | 19:05 |
| Marcus Stroman* | TOR | 9 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 10 | NYA | Masahiro Tanaka | 19:05 |
| Yordano Ventura | KC | 10 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 7 | DET | Max Scherzer | 19:08 |
| Miguel Gonzalez | BAL | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | TB | Erik Bedard | 19:10 |
| Jeff Samardzija | CHN | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | MIA | Ant. DeSclafani* | 19:10 |
| Phil Hughes | MIN | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 | BOS | Jon Lester | 19:10 |
| Kyle Kendrick | PHI | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8 | ATL | Ervin Santana | 19:10 |
| Matt Cain | SF | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | CHA | John Danks | 20:10 |
| Jon Niese | NYN | 5 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 9 | STL | Michael Wacha | 20:15 |
| Kyle Lohse | MIL | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | AZ | Wade Miley | 21:40 |
| Yu Darvish | TEX | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | OAK | Tommy Milone | 22:05 |
| Jhoulys Chacin | COL | 2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | LAN | Zack Greinke | 22:10 |
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.
Stroman vs. Tanaka in Yankee Stadium is pretty much as good as it gets, says the Torontonian. Both starting pitchers are young and unflappable, so that we oldsters can get into a flap watching them.