NERD Game Scores for Wednesday, September 2, 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
Seattle at Houston | 20:10 ET
Walker (153.0 IP, 93 xFIP-) vs. Kazmir (154.0 IP, 94 xFIP-)
Baseball, in its current recognizable state, is roughly 150 years old — nor do the various earlier permutations of the sport appear to extend back much further than 1840. The Western sporting tradition, meanwhile, can be traced at least as far back as 776 BCE, i.e. the year of the first Olympic games. Broadly speaking, then, it’s not entirely inaccurate to suggest that baseball has existed for roughly 5% of all sporting history. As a sort of spiritual exercise, contemplate that figure while observing tonight’s game. Also contemplate, if you have time left over or whatever, the wonderful improbability of the Astros’ season.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Houston Television.
Two Brief Notes
Debut: Zach Davies, RHP, Milwaukee
Milwaukee right-hander Zach Davies is scheduled to record his major-league debut this evening against Pittsburgh. Davies was acquired by the Brewers in the trade that sent Gerardo Parra to Baltimore. He throws merely an average fastball but a changeup which, by all accounts, allows the observer to forget momentarily life’s ubiquitous troubles.
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Los Angeles AL at Oakland, starts at 15:35 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Conley | MIA | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | ATL | Williams Perez | 12:10 |
| Raisel Iglesias | CIN | 9 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 7 | CHN | Jason Hammel | 14:20 |
| Andrew Heaney | LAA | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | OAK | Sonny Gray | 15:35 |
| Masahiro Tanaka | NYA | 7 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 5 | BOS | Henry Owens | 16:05 |
| Erasmo Ramirez | TB | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 9 | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 19:05 |
| Trevor Bauer | CLE | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 8 | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 19:07 |
| Aaron Nola | PHI | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 10 | NYN | Matt Harvey | 19:10 |
| Carlos Rodon | CHA | 8 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 3 | MIN | Tommy Milone | 20:10 |
| Randy Wolf | DET | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 | KC | Yo. Ventura | 20:10 |
| Jeff Locke | PIT | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 10 | MIL | Zach Davies* | 20:10 |
| Taijuan Walker | SEA | 10 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | HOU | Scott Kazmir | 20:10 |
| Max Scherzer | WAS | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | STL | Michael Wacha | 20:15 |
| Chase Anderson | AZ | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | COL | Jonathan Gray | 20:40 |
| Mike Leake | SF | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 10 | LAN | Clayton Kershaw | 22:10 |
| Cole Hamels | TEX | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | SD | Ian Kennedy | 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.
I think from here on out, the Nationals should always register a “10” on team score because they posses the “can’t-look-away” disaster quality of other horrible events in life.