NERD Game Scores for Saturday, May 10, 2014

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
Chicago NL at Atlanta | 19:10 ET
Jeff Samardzija (50.0 IP, 94 xFIP-, 0.9 WAR) faces Ervin Santana (33.2 IP, 69 xFIP-, 0.8 WAR). A brief inspection of the present site’s leaderboard feature reveals not only that the former has definitely reached the 50-inning threshold this season, but so have 15 other pitchers already. “Like sands through the hour glass,” one is compelled to muse, “so are the games of the 2014 baseball season.”

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Chicago NL Television.

MLB.TV Free Game
Unknown at Unknown | ??:?? ET
Today’s free game hadn’t been announced as of press time. One can find the answer here eventually, however.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: .

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
Tyler Skaggs	LAA	5	10	5	6	3	TOR	J.A. Happ*	13:07
Kyle Gibson	MIN	0	5	5	5	9	DET	Max Scherzer	13:08
Matt Cain	SF	5	7	6	5	8	LAN	Zack Greinke	16:10
Collin McHugh*	HOU	9	6	5	3	2	BAL	Mig. Gonzalez	19:05
Lance Lynn	STL	6	3	5	7	3	PIT	Edinson Volquez	19:05
Wade Miley	AZ	6	5	5	3	5	CHA	Jose Quintana	19:10
Jeff Samardzija	CHN	5	5	7	7	10	ATL	Ervin Santana	19:10
Zach McAllister	CLE	5	4	4	7	1	TB	Erik Bedard*	19:10
Jordan Lyles	COL	5	10	5	4	3	CIN	Alfredo Simon	19:10
CC Sabathia	NYA	8	5	6	5	5	MIL	Kyle Lohse	19:10
Kyle Kendrick	PHI	1	3	2	2	3	NYN	Dillon Gee	19:10
Jon Lester	BOS	8	2	6	3	5	TEX	Martin Perez	20:05
Nathan Eovaldi	MIA	10	8	6	3	3	SD	Eric Stults	20:40
Tanner Roark	WAS	5	6	5	4	6	OAK	Sonny Gray	21:05
Yordano Ventura	KC	10	3	5	4	0	SEA	Chris Young	21:10

To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.