NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, May 6, 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
Houston at Detroit | 19:08 ET
Brett Oberholtzer (32.0 IP, 108 xFIP-, 0.4 WAR) faces Robbie Ray (29.1 IP, 18.3% K, 4.4% BB at Triple-A). The latter was notably acquired from Washington this offseason (along with Ian Krol and Steve Lombardozzi) in exchange for right-hander Doug Fister — a move which seemed to represent a miscalculation of Fister’s value. Owing to a pair of spring injuries, Fister actually won’t make his season debut until Friday — i.e. three days after Ray makes his major-league debut tonight.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Detroit Radio.
MLB.TV Free Game
Seattle at Oakland | 22:05 ET
Roenis Elias (35.0 IP, 97 xFIP-, 0.5 WAR) faces Jesse Chavez (38.0 IP, 70 xFIP-, 1.1 WAR). The pair, thus far, account for two of the league’s most surprising pitching seasons. The former was originally forecast by Steamer to record a 4.82 FIP; his rest-of-season mark currently sits at 4.31. Chavez, for his part, received a 4.18 projected FIP this preseason. His raw improvement is less substantial than Elias’s (his current rest-of-season figure is 3.96), but one also must also account for the change in role: the right-hander was originally projected to make about two-thirds of his appearances in relief, in which capacity he would likely be producing better numbers on a per-inning basis.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Oakland Radio.
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay. Kershaw* | LAN | 10 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 | WAS | Blake Treinen* | 19:05 |
| Samuel Deduno* | MIN | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 7 | CLE | Josh Tomlin* | 19:05 |
| Tim Hudson | SF | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 4 | PIT | Charlie Morton | 19:05 |
| Drew Hutchison | TOR | 8 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | PHI | Cole Hamels* | 19:05 |
| B. Oberholtzer | HOU | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 12 | DET | Robbie Ray* | 19:08 |
| Chris Tillman | BAL | 4 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | TB | Chris Archer | 19:10 |
| Homer Bailey | CIN | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | BOS | Felix Doubront | 19:10 |
| Bartolo Colon | NYN | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | MIA | Hend. Alvarez | 19:10 |
| Tyler Lyons* | STL | 7 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | ATL | Gavin Floyd* | 19:10 |
| Hector Noesi* | CHA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | CHN | Edwin Jackson | 20:05 |
| Josh Collmenter | AZ | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | MIL | Marco Estrada | 20:10 |
| Robbie Ross | TEX | 6 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 5 | COL | Juan Nicasio | 20:40 |
| Hiroki Kuroda | NYA | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | LAA | C.J. Wilson | 22:05 |
| Roenis Elias | SEA | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 8 | OAK | Jesse Chavez | 22:05 |
| Jeremy Guthrie | KC | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | SD | Robbie Erlin | 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.
I think I’d rather watch Kershaw’s return to the mound than any Astro’s game, highest nerd score be damned. All kidding aside I love this series and I appreciate it very much. Keep up the good work.
That Robbie Ray NERD score [drool]
Beer Information
I’ve recently begun exploring this year’s crop of American summer beers. Left Hand has begun brewing something called “Juju”, which was sold to me as a ginger beer. It is not a ginger beer. It is a lighter-side ale which happens to be brewed with ginger. After an initial half-pint of disappointment (I do miss real ginger beer), I began to like Left Hand Juju and will seriously consider keeping a stock.
Anchor Summer is a hybrid beer, part wheat and part barley, and with the strengths of each: refreshing, but not cloying; delicious. I have enjoyed it entirely. It’s not quite as thick as Revolver Blood and Honey, Texas’ own “half-wit” (sorry), but that cloudy, hearty ale is really rather unique.
More disappointing were Lobo Lager, a plain lager from an upstart brewery in Fredericksburg, TX, and the usually estimable Lakewood’s attempt to spice up their Temptress Imperial Stout for Cinco de Mayo. A long, unpleasant, bitter finish marred a fairly enjoyable blend of mole spices.
Up next: I shall be on holiday in Denmark and Sweden until the 19th, without any access to FanGraphs or any baseballing information whatsoever. My sorrows will be well-drowned at the Mikkeller, Copenhagen’s legendary brewpub.
Poor Blake Treinen is also making his first ever Major League start and gets half the NERD that Robbie Ray does.