NERD Game Scores: Houston Astros Return Engagement
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
Kansas City at Houston | 20:10 ET
Duffy (43.0 IP, 117 xFIP-) vs. Keuchel (116.1 IP, 73 xFIP-)
By mere decimal points, this Royals-Astros encounter receives today’s highest game score, rendering it not only (a) the (hypothetically) most watchable contest of the evening according to the inadequate methodology devised by the author, but also (b) the third consecutive day on which the Houstons have been featured within same. With regard to which of the club’s qualities distinguish them most substantially, one finds that they’ve produced a park-adjusted home-run rate nearly 2.5 standard deviations better than the league average while having deployed batters who, overall, are more than 2.5 standard deviations younger than the mean — both league-leading figures, those. Additionally, the Astros bullpen has recorded the lowest park-adjusted xFIP in all the majors; its baserunners, the fifth-most runs by that measure. A collection of promising traits, is what one finds here — just as within a dating profile on which one has lied about his collection of promising traits.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Houston Radio.
Two Brief Notes
Perpetually Looping Video: Cody Anderson, Inducing Weak Flies
Cleveland right-hander Cody Anderson, recording just his second major-league start on Monday, conceded now baserunners over the first 6.1 innings of that same contest against Tampa Bay (box). While he ultimately collected just two strikeouts versus 26 batters, he also appeared to benefit from some weakly hit pop ups, such as those which follow in a perpetually looping video.
Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Chicago AL at St. Louis, starts at 20:15 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tayl’r Jungmann | MIL | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | PHI | Cole Hamels | 19:05 |
| Colby Lewis | TEX | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | BAL | Miguel Gonzalez | 19:05 |
| Ed. Rodriguez | BOS | 8 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | TOR | Marco Estrada | 19:07 |
| Gerrit Cole | PIT | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | DET | Justin Verlander | 19:08 |
| Kyle Hendricks | CHN | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | NYN | Jon Niese | 19:10 |
| Danny Salazar | CLE | 10 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | TB | Erasmo Ramirez | 19:10 |
| Phil Hughes | MIN | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | CIN | Ant. DeSclafani | 19:10 |
| Ryan Vogelsong | SF | 0 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | MIA | Mat Latos | 19:10 |
| Jo. Zimmermann | WAS | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | ATL | Shelby Miller | 19:10 |
| Danny Duffy | KC | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 | HOU | Dallas Keuchel | 20:10 |
| Chris Sale | CHA | 10 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | STL | Lance Lynn | 20:15 |
| Carlos Frias | LAN | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 9 | AZ | Rub. de la Rosa | 21:40 |
| Jorge de la Rosa | COL | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | OAK | Sonny Gray | 22:05 |
| Ivan Nova* | NYA | 4 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | LAA | Andrew Heaney* | 22:05 |
| Mi. Montgomery | SEA | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 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.
Well now that the White Sox are playing, their game is free.