diff --git a/src/kibana/plugins/discover/controllers/discover.js b/src/kibana/plugins/discover/controllers/discover.js
index e02a8d9cac915..d1422beeaa2fa 100644
--- a/src/kibana/plugins/discover/controllers/discover.js
+++ b/src/kibana/plugins/discover/controllers/discover.js
@@ -321,6 +321,7 @@ define(function (require) {
        */
       var sortBy = (function () {
         if (!_.isArray(sort)) return 'implicit';
+        else if (sort[0] === '_score') return 'implicit';
         else if (sort[0] === timeField) return 'time';
         else return 'non-time';
       }());