One Night Only: Hot Game Previews for May 2nd

Brandon McCarthy wants to do for opposing batters what Senator McCarthy did for pinko commies.

This edition of One Night Only contains:

1. Expanded previews for three games: Texas at Oakland, New York (AL) at Detroit, and Los Angeles (AL) at Boston.

2. Pitcher and Team NERD scores for every one of tonight’s games.

3. At least one cheap joke about Bartolo Colon’s appetite.

Texas (6) at Oakland (5) | 15:35 ET
Starting Pitchers
Rangers: Derek Holland (9)
31.2 IP, 7.67 K/9, 2.84 BB/9, .354 BABIP, 48.0 GB%, 9.4% HR/FB, 3.50 xFIP, 87 xFIP-

A’s: Brandon McCarthy (6)
35.1 IP, 5.86 K/9, 1.02 BB/9, .345 BABIP, 48.3 GB%, 2.6% HR/FB, 3.28 xFIP, 81 xFIP-

Lie Detecting
Everyone who called that Brandon McCarthy would have an xFIP under 3.50, raise your hand.

Let the record state that anyone who has raised his (or her) hand is a total, complete liar.

Actual Fact About Brandon McCarthy
Brandon McCarthy currently has a 1.1 WAR.

His career-high for same? Just 1.3 WAR — in 2007 and ’09, respectively.

Another Fact About Brandon McCarthy
Brandon McCarthy currently has a 48.3% ground-ball rate through 35.1 innings (i.e. not an insignificant sample).

His career high by that measure? Just 39.0% — in 2009.

A Third Fact About Brandon McCarthy
Brandon McCarthy has achieved his present level of success by virtue of the process known as active imagination.

What does he imagine? He imagines that he’s former U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and that opposing batters are the shadowy spectre of communism.

New York Americans (8) at Detroit (1) | 19:05 ET
Starting Pitchers
Yankees: Bartolo Colon (5)
26.0 IP, 9.00 K/9, 2.08 BB/9, .300 BABIP, 45.7 GB%, 8.0% HR/FB, 2.91 xFIP, 72 xFIP-

Tigers: Justin Verlander (8)
42.0 IP, 9.21 K/9, 2.79 BB/9, .226 BABIP, 37.3 GB%, 11.5% HR/FB, 3.31 xFIP, 82 xFIP-

Notes
• Shocking news: three articles about Bartolo Colon have appeared in these pages over the last two weeks.
• First, Tommy Rancel was like, “Curious: the Yankees are giving Bartolo Colon a start.”
• Ten days later, Paul Swydan was all, “Shock! Horror! Bartolo Colon pitching like ace for some reason.”
• Finally, Zach Sanders proclaimed with his last waking breath, “The world is likely ending: Bartolo Colon is worth a pick-up by most formats.”
• This is, of course, will be forever known as FanGraphs’ great Bartolo Colon Trilogy.

If I Had My Druthers
• FanGraphs actually would write a great trilogy about the life of Bartolo Colon.
• One that’d start with him growing up in some kind of shire.
• And would end with him eating everyone in the shire.

One Final Game, In Brief
Los Angeles Americans (4) at Boston (4) | 19:10 ET
• If you watch this game, know that you’re watching two of the league’s more miserable pitchers thus far.*
• Tyler Chatwood (0): 27.1 IP, 4.28 K/9, 5.60 BB/9, 45.3 GB%, 5.18 xFIP, 129 xFIP-
• Clay Buchholz (0): 27.0 IP, 5.00 K/9, 5.33 BB/9, 42.7 GB%, 5.51 xFIP, 137 xFIP-.

*Let it be known that we’ve been spared: the very excellent Jered Weaver (7) will be taking Chatwood’s start this evening. (Thanks to commenter and noted Greek epigrammatist Xenophanes.)

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
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD of 5 (or 10 for debuts)