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.