NERD Game Scores for Sunday, May 4, 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
San Francisco at Atlanta | 13:35 ET
Madison Bumgarner (33.2 IP, 91 xFIP-, 0.3 WAR) faces Alex Wood (40.0 IP, 78 xFIP-, 0.6 WAR). The latter, despite recording a single-game 5.79 xFIP in his most recent start, has still produced the 16th-best xFIP- of all 108 qualified starters. The Atlantans as a club, meanwhile, have posted a park-adjusted home-run rate, bullpen xFIP-, and defensive-runs figure all greater than a standard deviation above league average thus far.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: San Francisco Radio or Television.
MLB.TV Free Game
Arizona at San Diego | 16:10 ET
Wade Miley (42.0 IP, 101 xFIP-, 0.0 WAR) faces Tyson Ross (36.2 IP, 99 xFIP-, 0.1 WAR). This contest also serves as an opportune moment for the Jace Peterson Status Update for which no one was asking. Peterson’s numbers thus far: 21 PA, 0.0% BB, 19.0% K, 3 wRC+ (.235 BABIP), 2/2 SB, -0.1 WAR. So not dominant quite yet.
Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Arizona Radio.
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Rienzo* | CHA | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | CLE | Corey Kluber | 13:05 |
| Erik Bedard* | TB | 2 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 9 | NYA | CC Sabathia | 13:05 |
| Stephen Fife* | LAN | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | MIA | Jose Fernandez | 13:10 |
| Sonny Gray | OAK | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 8 | BOS | John Lackey | 13:35 |
| M. Bumgarner | SF | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | ATL | Alex Wood | 13:35 |
| Dustin McGowan | TOR | 0 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 3 | PIT | Edinson Volquez | 13:35 |
| Miguel Gonzalez | BAL | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | MIN | Phil Hughes | 14:10 |
| Justin Verlander | DET | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | KC | Jason Vargas | 14:10 |
| Brandon Maurer* | SEA | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | HOU | Collin McHugh* | 14:10 |
| Gio Gonzalez | WAS | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 6 | PHI | R. Hernandez | 15:05 |
| Yu Darvish | TEX | 4 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5 | LAA | Tyler Skaggs | 15:35 |
| Wade Miley | AZ | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | SD | Tyson Ross | 16:10 |
| Kyle Lohse | MIL | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | CIN | Alfredo Simon | 16:10 |
| Dillon Gee | NYN | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 5 | COL | Jhoulys Chacin* | 16:10 |
| Lance Lynn | STL | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | CHN | Jason Hammel | 20:05 |
To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Disbanding the Corey Kluber Society may have been premature.