NERD Games Scores: Matt Boyd Debut 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
Texas at Toronto | 13:07 ET
Gallardo (87.2 IP, 95 xFIP-) vs. Boyd (N/A)
The author has exercised his world-famous discretion this morning and assessed to left-handed Toronto prospect Matt Boyd a NERD score of 14 — with a view, that maneuver, to giving this Rangers-Blue Jays contest the highest game score of the day. With regard to Boyd, one finds his name currently third among all prospects on the Fringe Five Scoreboard, which fact reveals simultaneously that (a) Boyd was omitted from Kiley McDaniel’s preseason top-200 prospect list (as well as all other similar lists), but (b) has exhibited some combination of performance and talent worthy of recognition. Indeed, concerning that performance, a brief inspection of the leaderboards reveals that Boyd has produced one of the top strikeout- and walk-rate differentials among all starters in the high minors. And concerning that talent, the author himself has observed Boyd sitting at 92-93 mph while periodically touch 95. A formula, that, for achieving what the Germans likely refer to as not-failure.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Texas Radio.

Two Brief Notes
Debut Report: Alex Meyer, RHP, Minnesota
Right-handed Twins prospect Alex Meyer — ranked 71st among Kiley McDaniel’s top-200 prospects this offseason — recorded his major-league debut on Friday, appearing in relief of starter Trevor May after the latter conceded five runs in merely 0.1 innings. Meyer’s own appearance wasn’t a rousing success: against nine batters he allowed two home runs. He did compile two strikeouts, however, while also producing an average fastball velocity of roughly 97 mph.

Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features the same Texas and Toronto club discussed 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
Yovani Gallardo	TEX	3	3	7	9	14	TOR	Matt Boyd*	13:07
Kyle Gibson	MIN	4	3	4	3	4	MIL	Matt Garza	14:10
Gio Gonzalez	WAS	6	5	5	1	6	PHI	Adam Morgan*	15:05
Julio Teheran	ATL	5	2	5	7	6	PIT	Charlie Morton	16:05
Chris Rusin	COL	5	3	4	5	2	SF	Tim Lincecum	16:05
Chris Young	KC	1	7	4	5	5	OAK	Scott Kazmir	16:05
John Danks	CHA	4	1	4	5	5	DET	Kyle Ryan	16:08
Wade Miley	BOS	3	4	4	6	5	TB	Matt Andriese	16:10
Mi. Lorenzen	CIN	3	5	6	4	10	NYN	Matt Harvey	16:10
Clayton Kershaw	LAN	10	6	6	5	2	MIA	Tom Koehler	16:10
Masahiro Tanaka	NYA	7	9	7	10	3	HOU	Br. Oberholtzer	16:10
Donn Roach*	CHN	3	7	6	4	8	STL	Michael Wacha	19:15
Cody Anderson*	CLE	7	7	5	6	2	BAL	Chris Tillman	19:15
J.A. Happ	SEA	4	4	5	6	5	LAA	Garrett Richards	19:15
J.my Hellickson	AZ	3	5	5	3	7	SD	Andrew Cashner	22:10

* = Fewer than 10 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.