NERD Game Scores: Price and Kluber Action Event
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
Detroit at Cleveland | 16:05 ET
David Price (203.1 IP, 72 xFIP-, 4.6 WAR) faces Corey Kluber (192.2 IP, 72 xFIP-, 5.8 WAR). Following a pair of victories against Kansas City — and a probably imminent, but also currently suspended, third win from Sunday’s game — Cleveland is now a non-negligible participant in the race for the AL Central. Even omitting that suspended game, the Clevelanders now possess better than 5% odds of winning the division — up from less than 2% entering play Saturday. Endeavoring to aid their clubs’ respective causes are Price and Kluber, two of the American League’s probably five most likely candidates — along with Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, and Max Scherzer — for the Cy Young award.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Cleveland or Detroit Radio.
Two Brief Notes
Debut Alert: Select Prospects
With the expansion of active rosters to 40 players, a number of clubs will promote/have already promoted a number of notable players. Among them, for example, is Kansas City left-hander Brandon Finnegan, selected just this summer in the first round out of TCU. And also is Detroit outfielder Steven Moya, who’s listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds.
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features the same Detroit and Cleveland clubs feature 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 changes here, if you’re the sort of person accustomed to making poor life decisions.
| Away | SP | Tm. | Gm. | Tm. | SP | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubby de la Rosa | BOS | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | TB | Drew Smyly | 13:10 |
| Zack Wheeler | NYN | 7 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 | MIA | Hen’son Alvarez | 13:10 |
| Cole Hamels | PHI | 8 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | ATL | Julio Teheran | 13:10 |
| Phil Hughes | MIN | 9 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 13:35 |
| Gerrit Cole | PIT | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | STL | Lance Lynn | 14:15 |
| Jimmy Nelson | MIL | 6 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | CHN | Jacob Turner | 14:20 |
| David Price | DET | 10 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 9 | CLE | Corey Kluber | 16:05 |
| Chris Young | SEA | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 6 | OAK | Jason Hammel | 16:05 |
| Trevor Cahill | AZ | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 8 | SD | Tyson Ross | 16:10 |
| Tim Hudson | SF | 5 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | COL | Franklin Morales | 16:10 |
| Colby Lewis | TEX | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 9 | KC | Y’dano Ventura | 20:10 |
| Gio Gonzalez | WAS | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | LAN | Rob. Hernandez | 20:10 |
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.
Does the Playoff Odds Projector know about the suspended game? Impressive if so.
Absolutely watching Price v. Kluber. The last Kluber match I saw was the one where he outdueled King Felix.
I’m glad to see the playoff odds adjustment seems to be balanced well. It picked a game between two great pitchers instead of a couple of playoff-relevant matchups, which I think is correct in this case.
This is very playoff relevant. Indians will be 2.5GB of Detroit and KC if they hold KC to 1 run or less in the bottom of the inning.
Yeah, I’m not sure what game is more playoff relevant. St Louis/Pitt is basically equally relevant to Cleveland/Detroit
I’m assuming the model doesn’t know about the suspended game.. I think there are a few other games on that list with more playoff implications under that assumption. But anyway, I’m glad this one got the nod.
I have always seen Moya listed at 6’7″.
NYN v. MIA features also Brad Hand (not starting) now pitching for the home team. I will miss even this baseball game when its gone in the coming months.
Thanks for day after day of NERD scores, Cistulli, just because they’re gratuitously excellent. Play ball!
I get the argument that as good as Sale’s been, Hernandez and Kluber and Lester’s IP (and correspondingly greater WAR) are just too much to overcome, even if Sale’s probably been a smidgen better on a per-inning basis (especially when park effects are factored in).
But is there any argument for Price or Scherzer over Sale?
kluber nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
;_;