NERD Game Scores for Sunday, June 1, 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
Atlanta at Miami | 13:10 ET
Aaron Harang (65.2 IP, 85 xFIP-, 2.0 WAR) faces Nathan Eovaldi (67.0 IP, 95 xFIP-, 1.0 WAR). In addition to having recorded the second-highest average fastball velocity among 101 qualified pitchers (tied with Garrett Richards behind Yordano Ventura), the latter has also recorded above-average walk and ground-ball rates. Indeed, Eovaldi is the only qualifier to have produced thus far an average fastball velocity of 95 mph or higher and a walk rate of 2.0 BB/9 or lower.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Atlanta Radio.

Three Brief Notes
Regarding Yu Darvish’s Low-ish NERD Score, The Reason for It
Despite having recorded a park-adjusted xFIP about one standard deviation better than the mean produced by the ca. 170 pitchers to have thrown at least 20 innings as a starter, right-hander Yu Darvish has produced relatively average swinging-strike and overall strike rates — and one of the absolutely slowest paces — among that same group.

Regarding Garin Cecchini, How He Might Debut Today
Boston third-base prospect Garin Cecchini will be recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket before Sunday’s game, according to the internet. He ranks among baseball’s best prospects by projected WAR.

Regarding Today’s Free Game
Today’s free game features Colorado at Cleveland, starts at 1:05pm ET, 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.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Jhoulys Chacin	COL	2	8	4	5	4	CLE	Josh Tomlin	13:05
Phil Hughes	MIN	7	4	6	5	6	NYA	Chase Whitley*	13:05
Jeremy Guthrie	KC	2	3	4	8	4	TOR	Mark Buehrle	13:07
Aaron Harang	ATL	7	7	8	8	9	MIA	Nathan Eovaldi	13:10
Jon Niese	NYN	4	2	5	2	7	PHI	Cole Hamels	13:35
Erik Bedard	TB	0	6	4	2	8	BOS	Jon Lester	13:35
Yu Darvish	TEX	6	2	5	6	4	WAS	Tanner Roark	13:35
Wei-Yin Chen	BAL	6	4	4	7	1	HOU	Scott Feldman	14:10
Jeff Samardzija	CHN	7	5	6	5	6	MIL	Kyle Lohse	14:10
Eric Stults	SD	3	6	6	3	10	CHA	Chris Sale	14:10
Tim Hudson	SF	6	6	5	3	5	STL	Lance Lynn	14:15
Jered Weaver	LAA	3	9	5	6	6	OAK	Sonny Gray	16:05
Alfredo Simon	CIN	4	3	5	5	7	AZ	Wade Miley	16:10
Max Scherzer	DET	7	5	6	4	6	SEA	Roenis Elias	16:10
Edinson Volquez	PIT	3	6	6	6	8	LAN	Zack Greinke	20:07

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