NERD Game Scores: Presenting Jon Lester, Oakland Athletic
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 Oakland | 16:05 ET
Jason Vargas (125.0 IP, 107 xFIP-, 1.4 WAR) faces Jon Lester (143.0 IP, 79 xFIP-, 4.5 WAR). While regarded both far and also wide as infallible, the NERD scores utilized here for the purposes of determining the day’s most compelling games do not, as a practice, account for the debut of a talented pitcher for the team to which he’s been recently been traded at the deadline. As such, Jon Lester’s debut for Oakland wouldn’t ordinarily be distinguished as today’s most highly rated game. Using the sort of Discretion, however, which has earned him the attention of many women and the envy of just as many men, the author has applied an adjustment to this game of +2 points — a sum which, coincidentally or not, earns it the day’s top score.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Oakland Radio.
Two Brief Notes
Other Notable Debut: Justin Masterson for St. Louis
Right-hander Justin Masterson, traded to St. Louis at the deadline, is expected to make his debut for that club this evening against division rival (and division-leading) Milwaukee.
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Los Angeles AL at Tampa Bay, starts at 7:10pm 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.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Vargas | KC | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | OAK | Jon Lester | 16:05 |
| Shane Greene | NYA | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 | BOS | Allen Webster* | 16:05 |
| A.J. Burnett | PHI | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 9 | WAS | J. Zimmermann | 19:05 |
| James Paxton* | SEA | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 1 | BAL | Miguel Gonzalez | 19:05 |
| Miles Mikolas | TEX | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | CLE | T.J. House | 19:05 |
| Tyler Matzek | COL | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | DET | Rick Porcello | 19:08 |
| Homer Bailey | CIN | 7 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 8 | MIA | Nathan Eovaldi | 19:10 |
| C.J. Wilson | LAA | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | TB | Chris Archer | 19:10 |
| Yohan Pino | MIN | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | CHA | Scott Carroll | 19:10 |
| Jake Peavy | SF | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | NYN | Jacob deGrom | 19:10 |
| R.A. Dickey | TOR | 10 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 3 | HOU | Br. Oberholtzer | 19:10 |
| Kyle Lohse | MIL | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | STL | Justin Masterson | 19:15 |
| Vance Worley | PIT | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | AZ | Chase Anderson | 20:10 |
| Ervin Santana | ATL | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | SD | Ian Kennedy | 20:40 |
| Tsuyoshi Wada* | CHN | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | LAN | Hyun-Jin Ryu | 21:10 |
To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
How is it that Dickey is a must-see 10?
Knuckleball
Fast pace
Is anyone else at least mildly perturbed that every single Red Sox-Yankees series is nationally televised in its entirety?
Fri: MLB Network game of the week
Sat: Fox game of the week or whatever
Sun: ESPN’s Sunday Night bullsht.
I understand why this has to be(ratings, stupid Americans), but I’m still upset! As indicated by today’s chart, I’d much rather see Jon Lester’s debut for the best team in baseball than a hackneyed rivalry against two mediocre teams.
Also, I don’t mean to step outside my bounds as a commenter here, but may I suggest that perhaps another variable be added to the NERD calc? It would be a binary variable for when a pitcher is making his first for a team, a lot like what Jon Lester is doing today. I think there is much more intrigue in a player’s debut game, maybe even enough to bump his NERD a full point in those games?
This is why you read then post, not the other way around.
He means on a permanent basis smart guy.
He’s the same guy.
Oh that is delicious
Mistakes were made..
I think there’s got to be some flaw in your methodology with Houston and Colorado as the two most watchable teams.
2/3 of the way into the season, there’s got to be something in the Team Scores which rewards playoff contention.