One Night Only!

This edition of One Night Only was originally penned in a considerably more beautiful and way more expressive foreign language.

(NERD scores in parentheses.)

Atlanta (5) at Philadelpia (4) | 7:05pm ET
Starting Pitchers
Braves: Mike Minor (10)
37.0 IP, 9.97 K/9, 2.19 BB/9, .381 BABIP, 36.1% GB, 9.3% HR/FB, 3.68 xFIP, 0.7 WAR

Phillies: Roy Halladay (10)
234.2 IP, 8.05 K/9, 1.07 BB/9, .306 BABIP, 51.5% GB, 11.6% HR/FB, 2.89 xFIP, 6.4 WAR

Notes
• Halladay has a strand rate of 82.7% — which, that’s higher than both his career rate (73.2%) and league average (around 70%). On the other hand, were Halladay’s strand rate over 100%, I’d still regard it as totally sustainable. Why? Because he’s Roy Frigging Halladay. He’s like the MacGyver of baseball pitchers.
• Mike Minor’s excellent NERD is based upon the fact that he’s both a tiny baby (only 22) and totally unlucky (5.84 ERA verus that 3.68 xFIP).
• Here are some postseason odds, via Cool Standings. Philly: 79.1% (Division), 20.6% (Wild Card), 99.7% (Playoffs). Atlanty: 20.9% (Division), 68.2% (Wild Card), 89.1% (Playoffs).

Forewards Progress
The Handsome and Prolific Jonah Keri announced yesterday via Twitter that Mark Cuban will be writing the foreward to Keri’s forthcoming tour-de-force The Extra 2% — an exciting prospect, I think we can all agree.

On the occasion of this news, I thought it might be a good time to announce some of my own forthcoming titles and their respective foreward-writers. The following texts will almost definitely be available at better bookstores everywhere.

Title: Rock, Chalk, Tarantula Hawk?
Description: A very scholarly and totally rigorous analysis of an alternate reality in which the University of Kansas chose a very different kind of mascot.
Foreward By: Actually, no specific author. Rather, it’s an excerpt from a game of Exquisite Corpse played by Dom DeLuise, Catherine Deneuve, and Kool Keith during one of the latter’s legendarily tasteful dinner parties. Suffice it to say, the text is frigging transcendent.

Title: On the High Importance of Codpieces
Description: Written in broken French, Codpieces is mostly just a collection of photographs I’ve taken of myself in various states of undress, in various bathroom mirrors.
Foreward By: Grady Sizemore, whose French is impeccable, actually

Title: Oh Baby, I Like It WAR
Description: A disgusting, expletive-laden meditation on the history of sabermetrics.
Foreward By: Ol’ Dirty Bastard (posthumously)

Other Notes
Texas (7) at Los Angeles Americans (1), 10:05pm ET
• Let Colby Lewis (7) into your life, America.
• Peter Bourjos Watch: 136 PA, .195/.231/.375 (.223 BABIP), .268 wOBA, 64 wRC+.
• Another thing about Peter Bourjos: he’s currently sporting a 7.8 UZR through 327.2 innings afield. Small sample? Yes. Still totally plausible? Also, yes.

Colorado (6) at Arizona (8), 9:40pm ET
• Troy Tulowitzki is becoming a legit MVP-candidate, says my boss. Diamondback starter Joe Saunders is a good person against whom to continue that candidacy.

Also Playing
These games are very likely playing at some kind of sporty channel near you.

pNERD = Pitcher NERD
tNERD = Team NERD
Game = Time and Average NERD for Game
* = Estimated NERD