NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, September 15, 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
Houston at Texas | 20:05 ET
McHugh (178.1 IP, 98 xFIP-) vs. Holland (37.1 IP, 91 xFIP-)
With the victory by the Rangers last night in the first game of this series, that club and the Astros are now separated by a mere half game atop the American League’s westernmost division. Of some interest regarding that westernmost division: one finds that the Houston and Texas clubs (the latter located in Arlington, TX) are actually situated to the east of what is generally recognized as the geographic center of the contiguous United States. “Unsettling,” might be one’s response to that sort of revelation. Or perhaps even: “worrisome.” One might begin to suspect that nothing is what it seems. Of course, that’s probably also not the case.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Texas Radio.
Another Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Washington at Philadelphia, starts at 19:05 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 adjustments here and here.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jas. Hammel | CHN | 7 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 10 | PIT | Gerrit Cole | 13:35 |
| Jon Lester | CHN | 7 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 5 | PIT | J.A. Happ | 19:05 |
| Joe Kelly | BOS | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | BAL | Ubaldo Jimenez | 19:05 |
| St. Strasburg | WAS | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | PHI | David Buchanan | 19:05 |
| Kris Medlen | KC | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8 | CLE | Josh Tomlin | 19:10 |
| Tom Koehler | MIA | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | NYN | Jacob deGrom | 19:10 |
| Adam Warren | NYA | 3 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | TB | Jake Odorizzi | 19:10 |
| Mark Buehrle | TOR | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | ATL | Julio Teheran | 19:10 |
| Collin McHugh | HOU | 5 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 7 | TEX | Derek Holland | 20:05 |
| Alfredo Simon | DET | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 4 | MIN | Phil Hughes | 20:10 |
| Aaron Brooks | OAK | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | CHA | Jeff Samardzija | 20:10 |
| Carl. Martinez | STL | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | MIL | Ariel Pena* | 20:10 |
| Tyson Ross | SD | 8 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | AZ | Jhoulys Chacin | 21:40 |
| Chris Rusin | COL | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | LAN | Brett Anderson | 22:10 |
| Nick Tropeano | LAA | 8 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | SEA | Felix Hernandez | 22:10 |
| John Lamb | CIN | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | SF | Chris Heston | 22:15 |
* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.