Baseball

Welcome to the second edition of the MLB Featured Columnists' Poll!

After the success of last week's player award predictions, Chicago Cubs FC Matt Poloni suggested a survey of predictions about how the divisions will shake out.

For each team I have listed the cumulative rank, average rank, and number of first-place votes.

Here’s a look at some unheralded players who played well yesterday.

Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds

Rolen went 2-for-3 with three runs and a HR (five). He’s hitting .283.

Colorado's 26-year-old Ubaldo Jimenez became the first Rockie in franchise history to throw a no-hitter when he silenced the bats of the hot-hitting Atlanta Braves over nine dazzling innings.

There are usually a couple of no-nos each year, although that number will probably drop now that Jason Varitek has seen his playing time behind the plate drop. He has caught four no-hitters, the most in baseball history.

There are still three teams who have yet to see a pitcher toss a no-hitter. The Rays haven't seen one in their young history, and the Padres have been waiting 41 years without any joy.

THE MEAT OF THE ORDER

Every week there are three things I deem to be really important. It's kind of like the "meat" of my lineup.

1. Plummeting attendance should be a concern.

The attendance issues in baseball are real people.

Three attendance lows for ballparks in one night? This is in addition to Baltimore and Cleveland doing it the week before last has to just make you shake your head.

Teams are no longer counting on the three run home run these days; they are thinking speed, speed, and more speed.

This past off season, the New York Yankees made two trades involving pitchers. They will live to regret both trades.

The first is obvious. The Yankees have lost six games in this young season and three of them are directly attributable to horrendous efforts by Javier Vazquez.

Vazquez was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves to be the Yankees fourth starter. The way he has pitched so far, he should the the fourth member of the grounds crew.

Brett Gardner finished Saturday's win hitting .340 for the New York Yankees as they won their 12th game over the Angels. He has also stolen nine bases which puts him on a pace to steal about 85 for the year.

Gardner did not start in the series finale in Anaheim on Sunday afternoon as the Yankees lost the game and their first series of the season.

Marcus Thames was in Gardner's place as southpaw Scott Kazmir started for Los Angeles.

Thames did get a hit, a base on balls and scored a run.

Jose Guillen & Paul Konerko continue to rake.  David Price showed his full potential.  Mike Pelfrey extended his scoreless inning streak.  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Pitchers

Save your sabermetrics and your OPS and OBS and all those other statistics that address a hitter's ability to produce.

The 2010 San Francisco Giants, when healthy, score a few more runs a week than the 2009 Giants did. This bunch, however, is no better than last year's club at scoring a run when they really, really, need one.

The easiest way to score a run is, naturally, to jack a ball over the fence. Pablo Sandoval is a consistent home run threat. Beyond Sandoval, the club is without a true source of power.

Due to David Ortiz’s struggles last season and early this season, many people have speculated over whether or not Big Papi is done.

In short, I think he is nearing the end. 

I am sure he still has a few good games left in him, but I would venture to guess that even the most diehard member of Red Sox nation would agree that his best years are behind him.

Whenever a player of Ortiz’s caliber nears the end of his career, the conversation almost always switches to a discussion of whether or not said player will make it to the Hall of Fame.