NERD Game Scores: Tsuyoshi Wada Recon Opportunity
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
San Diego at Chicago NL | 20:05 ET
Ian Kennedy (129.1 IP, 87 xFIP-, 2.3 WAR) faces Tsuyoshi Wada (113.2 IP, 25.9% K, 6.0% BB at Triple-A). That the latter has produced the second-best strikeout-walk differential among all qualified Triple-A pitchers is a matter of record. Precisely how he’s done that — as a 33-year-old who was considerably less effective last year in the minors and also throws just 90 mph — that’s a greater mystery. Wada’s major-league debut July 8th at Cincinnati was a success; he recorded a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio against 19 batters over 5.0 scoreless innings (box).
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Chicago NL Television.
One Unhelpful, But Also Brief, Note
Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game hadn’t been announced as of press time, but 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Bauer | CLE | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | MIN | Anthony Swarzak* | 13:10 |
| Mike Leake | CIN | 6 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | MIL | Kyle Lohse | 14:10 |
| James Shields | KC | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | CHA | Jose Quintana | 14:10 |
| Stephen Strasburg | WAS | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 1 | COL | Jorge de la Rosa | 15:10 |
| Anibal Sanchez | DET | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | AZ | Trevor Cahill | 15:40 |
| Bartolo Colon | NYN | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 | SEA | Taijuan Walker* | 15:40 |
| Dan Haren | LAN | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | PIT | Francisco Liriano | 19:05 |
| Mad. Bumgarner | SF | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | PHI | A.J. Burnett | 19:05 |
| Yu Darvish | TEX | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | NYA | David Phelps | 19:05 |
| Clay Buchholz | BOS | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 9 | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 19:07 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | MIA | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | ATL | Ervin Santana | 19:10 |
| Alex Cobb | TB | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | STL | Lance Lynn | 19:15 |
| Ian Kennedy | SD | 7 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 11 | CHN | Tsuyoshi Wada* | 20:05 |
| Chris Tillman | BAL | 1 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | LAA | Jered Weaver | 22:05 |
| Brad Peacock | HOU | 3 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | OAK | Jesse Chavez | 22:05 |
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.
Poor Jorge DE LA Rosa. He wins all these games and still only has a NERD of 1.