NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, May 31, 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
Pittsburgh at Miami | 19:10 ET
Cole (53.1 IP, 100 xFIP-) vs. Fernandez (60.2 IP, 63 xFIP-)
Were Noah Syndergaard and Nathan Eovaldi and Carlos Martinez and Yordano Ventura — were none of those four to exist, the starters in this game between Pittsburgh and Miami would possess the top two average four-seam velocities among all qualifiers. This presupposes, of course, that Cole and Fernandez weren’t somehow also altered. Which, have Syndergaard and Eovladi and everyone — have they died in this hypothetical scenario? Or have they merely never been born? Is it possible that their presence is detected only by their absence, not unlike a black hole? Can a man step in the same river twice? Of course, he can. As long as he’s brought his towel with him, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Readers’ Preferred Television Broadcast: Pittsburgh.
Two Other Brief Notes
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Cincinnati at Colorado, starts at 20:40 ET, and can be accessed by means of this hyperlinked text.
Broadcaster Rankings
Recently, the present author facilitated a crowdsourcing effort to reproduce the broadcaster rankings which appeared on this site roughly four years ago. The results from that effort — for television broadcasts, at least — are available 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 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 | ||
| Lance McCullers | HOU | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | AZ | Patrick Corbin | 15:40 |
| James Shields | SD | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 4 | SEA | Hisashi Iwakuma | 15:40 |
| Colby Lewis | TEX | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | CLE | Corey Kluber | 18:10 |
| Eduardo Rodriguez* | BOS | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 8 | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 19:05 |
| Joe Ross | WAS | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 10 | PHI | Aaron Nola | 19:05 |
| CC Sabathia | NYA | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | TOR | J.A. Happ | 19:07 |
| Mat Latos | CHA | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 10 | NYN | Steven Matz | 19:10 |
| Gerrit Cole | PIT | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 10 | MIA | Jose Fernandez | 19:10 |
| Jake Peavy | SF | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | ATL | Matt Wisler | 19:10 |
| Scott Kazmir | LAN | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | CHN | Jake Arrieta | 20:05 |
| Mike Leake | STL | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | MIL | Wily Peralta | 20:10 |
| Drew Smyly | TB | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | KC | Dillon Gee | 20:15 |
| Jon Moscot | CIN | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | COL | Jon Gray | 20:40 |
| Anibal Sanchez | DET | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | LAA | Hector Santiago | 22:05 |
| Tyler Duffey | MIN | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | OAK | Eric Surkamp | 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.
“Pittsburgh at Miami | 29:10 ET”
I assume that should be 19:10 ET 🙂
Sorry. Was using metric time. Edited! Thanks.
Remember this moment, people, eighty past two on April 47th, it’s the dawn of an enlightened Springfield.