NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, June 23, 2015

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 Tampa Bay | 19:10 ET
Dickey (89.0 IP, 120 xFIP-) vs. Archer (95.0 IP, 60 xFIP-)
If the numbers possess any manner of legitimacy, it would appear as though America ought to begin acquainting itself with a new fact — namely, that Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer is among all the major leagues’ top-five pitchers in terms of preventing runs. Only the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, for example, has produced a better park-adjusted expected FIP (xFIP-) — and only three pitchers have recorded a better strikeout- and walk-rate differential.

Of course, this won’t be the case for very long. Provided Archer declines at a similar rate to other pitchers, he’s unlikely to continue exerting such considerable influence over opposing batters. Fortunately for both the viewer and Archer himself, the deleterious influence of time likely won’t be felt so acutely on Tuesday night.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Toronto Radio.

A Single, Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features St. Louis at Miami, starts at 19:10 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 the calculations both for team and game NERD scores have changed recently to better integrate playoff odds into same. Read more about those changes here, if you’re the sort of person accustomed to making poor life decisions.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Alex Wood	ATL	5	2	5	6	5	WAS	Undecided	19:05
Josh Smith*	CIN	5	5	6	8	5	PIT	Jeff Locke	19:05
Sean O’Sullivan	PHI	0	1	4	8	6	NYA	CC Sabathia	19:05
Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	6	6	6	4	6	BOS	Joe Kelly	19:10
David Price	DET	6	4	7	7	10	CLE	Danny Salazar	19:10
Carlos Martinez	STL	9	5	6	5	4	MIA	Jose Urena	19:10
R.A. Dickey	TOR	7	8	8	6	10	TB	Chris Archer	19:10
Zack Greinke	LAN	6	6	7	7	8	CHN	Jason Hammel	20:05
Jesse Chavez	OAK	6	4	4	4	2	TEX	Alex Gonzalez	20:05
Jeff Samardzija	CHA	8	1	3	2	2	MIN	Mike Pelfrey	20:10
Jon Niese	NYN	5	4	4	3	4	MIL	Mike Fiers	20:10
Chase Anderson	AZ	4	5	3	3	0	COL	Kyle Kendrick	20:40
Collin McHugh	HOU	5	10	6	6	4	LAA	C.J. Wilson	22:05
Jeremy Guthrie	KC	2	8	4	4	2	SEA	Mi. Montgomery	22:10
Od. Despaigne	SD	3	3	5	5	7	SF	Ma. Bumgarner	22:15

* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.