NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, September 16, 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
San Francisco at Arizona | 21:40 ET
Jake Peavy (183.0 IP, 102 xFIP-, 1.9 WAR) faces Josh Collmenter (157.0 IP, 96 xFIP-, 1.6 WAR). This game serves as a reasonable pretense upon which to note that, despite having produced relatively average numbers over the course of the whole season, Giants right-hander Jake Peavy has actually recorded the 14th-best park-adjusted xFIP among qualified pitchers over the last month and also the 11th-best WAR among all pitchers over that same interval. It also serves as a pretense upon which to note that Ender Inciarte — of whom the author can only claim a passing knowledge — has batted leadoff in 42 consecutive games for Arizona, producing actually an above-average batting line and 10-for-11 stolen-base record over that same stretch.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: San Francisco Radio or Television.

Two Brief Notes
Alternative Viewing Opportunity: Cleveland at Houston
For those who are satisfied with baseball that lacks very immediate playoff consequences, tonight’s contest between Cleveland and Houston should serve as an alternative with some merit, insofar as it features compelling Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber and hitherto effective rookie Nick Tropeano.

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Chicago AL at Kansas City, starts at 8:10pm 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. 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
Ant’ny Ranaudo	BOS	0	3	5	10	5	PIT	Charlie Morton	19:05
Drew Hutchison	TOR	8	4	4	4	3	BAL	Ubaldo Jimenez	19:05
Nathan Eovaldi	MIA	10	4	5	3	7	NYN	Bartolo Colon	19:10
Michael Pineda	NYA	9	3	5	4	7	TB	Jake Odorizzi	19:10
Tanner Roark	WAS	6	4	4	4	4	ATL	Aaron Harang	19:10
Johnny Cueto	CIN	8	3	5	4	9	CHN	Jake Arrieta	20:05
Chris Bassitt*	CHA	5	3	6	10	3	KC	Liam Hendriks	20:10
Corey Kluber	CLE	10	4	5	4	7	HOU	Nick Tropeano*	20:10
Rick Porcello	DET	7	6	5	4	5	MIN	Ricky Nolasco	20:10
Wily Peralta	MIL	8	5	5	4	5	STL	Lance Lynn	20:15
Dan Haren	LAN	6	4	5	4	6	COL	Tyler Matzek	20:40
Jake Peavy	SF	4	10	6	4	5	AZ	Josh Collmenter	21:40
Roenis Elias	SEA	6	5	5	4	6	LAA	Cory Rasmus*	22:05
Nick Tepesch	TEX	2	3	6	10	7	OAK	Scott Kazmir	22:05
A.J. Burnett	PHI	5	3	4	3	8	SD	Ian Kennedy	22:10

To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.