NERD Game Scores for Tuesday, September 8, 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.

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Most Highly Rated Game
New York NL at Washington | 19:05 ET
Harvey (166.1 IP, 87 xFIP-) vs. Zimmermann (173.0 IP, 98 xFIP-)
A lot has to happen for the Washington Nationals — which club currently possesses playoff odds somewhere between 10% and 16%, depending on methodology — a lot has to happen for the Nationals to qualify for the postseason. Roughly one-fifth of it could happen tonight, however, as those Nationals — currently trailing the Mets by five games in the NL East — are scheduled to play that same Mets club tonight along the banks of the Anacostia. The other option, of course, is that Washington loses the game, thus rendering moot all hope.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: New York NL Television.

Two Brief Notes
Debut: Carl Edwards, RHP, Chicago NL
Right-handed Cubs prospect Carl (C. J.) Edwards recorded his major-league debut for that same club on Monday, working an inning of relief. Selected in the 48th round of the 2011 draft and signed for just $50,000, Edwards was ranked sixth among Chicago prospects by Kiley McDaniel this past offseason and 64th among all prospects everywhere. Working exclusively in relief this year, Edwards has exhibited the ability to miss bats (posting a 32.3% strikeout rate), but less of an ability to throw strikes (producing also a 17.7% walk rate). He throws a curveball whose break can be expressed perfectly by the Fibonacci sequence.

Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features the same New York and Washington clubs mentioned above, 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.

NERD Image 4

Away   SP Tm. Gm. Tm. SP   Home Time
Ryan Weber* ATL 5 3 4 3 5 PHI Aaron Nola 19:05
Kevin Gausman BAL 8 4 7 10 7 NYA Masahiro Tanaka 19:05
Matt Harvey NYN 10 5 7 6 7 WAS Jor. Zimmermann 19:05
Erasmo Ramirez TB 6 4 4 4 3 DET Matt Boyd 19:08
T. Jungmann MIL 4 4 4 4 6 MIA Adam Conley 19:10
Francis. Liriano PIT 8 5 6 4 9 CIN Raisel Iglesias 19:10
R.A. Dickey TOR 8 10 7 4 5 BOS Henry Owens 19:10
Carlos Carrasco CLE 10 4 6 4 8 CHA Carlos Rodon 20:10
Kyle Gibson MIN 4 6 5 4 4 KC Edinson Volquez 20:10
Jason Hammel CHN 7 5 6 5 9 STL Michael Wacha 20:15
Tim Hudson SF 4 4 4 4 4 AZ Chase Anderson 21:40
Scott Kazmir HOU 6 8 6 4 7 OAK Sonny Gray 22:05
Clayton Kershaw LAN 10 4 6 5 5 LAA Andrew Heaney 22:05
Jonathan Gray COL 7 4 5 4 7 SD Colin Rea 22:10
Cole Hamels TEX 9 8 7 4 10 SEA Taijuan Walker 22:10

* = 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.

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jose
8 years ago

Toronto and New York are the only “10” teams, NERD(s) dig the long ball.

AM
8 years ago
Reply to  jose

They are also in the closest divisional race