NERD Game Scores for Wednesday, September 9, 2015

September 9, 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
deGrom (169.0 IP, 78 xFIP-) vs. Strasburg (91.0 IP, 82 xFIP-)
After last night’s unsightly debacle — a game the club lost despite holding, at one point, something better than a 99% win expectancy — the Nationals are not unlike a friend who’s just recently learned of his wife’s multiple infidelities. Unavoidably, your first encounter with him after these revelations will be an uncomfortable and awkward one. Also, he might have to sleep on your couch. Likewise, observing the Washingtons this evening might be uncomfortable. And likewise, they might need to sleep on the 25 couches you have.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: New York NL Television.

Another Brief Note
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features San Francisco at Arizona, starts at 21:40 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.

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Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Jon Lester	CHN	7	5	6	6	10	STL	Carlos Martinez	13:45
Julio Teheran	ATL	5	3	3	3	2	PHI	David Buchanan	19:05
Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	6	4	7	10	5	NYA	CC Sabathia	19:05
Jacob deGrom	NYN	10	5	7	5	10	WAS	St. Strasburg	19:05
Jake Odorizzi	TB	6	4	4	4	3	DET	Kyle Lobstein	19:08
Ariel Pena*	MIL	6	4	4	4	3	MIA	Tom Koehler	19:10
J.A. Happ	PIT	5	6	5	4	3	CIN	Keyvius Sampson	19:10
Drew Hutchison	TOR	7	10	7	4	6	BOS	Joe Kelly	19:10
Josh Tomlin	CLE	8	4	5	4	7	CHA	Jeff Samardzija	20:10
Mike Pelfrey	MIN	3	6	5	4	7	KC	Kris Medlen	20:10
Chris Rusin	COL	5	4	4	4	6	SD	James Shields	21:10
Chris Heston	SF	4	4	4	4	2	AZ	Zachary Godley	21:40
Collin McHugh	HOU	5	10	7	4	6	OAK	Aaron Brooks	22:05
Mat Latos	LAN	6	4	5	5	7	LAA	Garrett Richards	22:05
Martin Perez	TEX	6	10	7	4	5	SEA	Vidal Nuno	22:10

* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.

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durn

10 years ago

I was so sure that the Nationals would play well against the Mets out of sheer force of will. It’s amazing to watch this team fail this way.

Well-Wined Englishman

Reply to durn

The Cistulli blurb is 100% accurate.

This series, in general, has seemed like both teams really, really want to lose.

The incredible thing is that Washington has had grand slams (of the big-league or little-league variety) in both matches.

Reply to Well-Wined Englishman

I just don’t ever see these teams, as constructed, making a serious playoff run. They just don’t play on the same level as those NL West Teams. Also, there’s no way I think they could beat the Royals, Blue Jays, or any seriously contending AL team in the WS.

Not based on any sort of evidence, but it just seems like something missing. I know this isn’t the place to put “gut feelings” but…there you go.

-2

The Mets, with a weaker team, have handled the West just fine. They won the season series against the Dodgers and split the series against the Giants, both with a much weaker team than what they have now. It’s like you’re not even trying.

The Mets split with the Jays too, and also with a much weaker team.