10 Pitchers Who Need to Start Second Half Hot to Avoid Being Benched or Traded

The second half of the 2012 season affords an opportunity for redemption. Those who haven't played well for the past three months can make up for that effort with a strong finish to the year. 

For some major-league pitchers, improving their performance is simply about keeping their jobs for this season and staking a claim to employment next year. But for others who have struggled, their teams are in playoff contention and need a meaningful contribution to stay competitive with their division and league rivals. 

Of the 10 pitchers listed here, much was expected. Younger pitchers were projected to establish themselves as major leaguers. Veterans were counted on to provide innings and stability to the middle and back ends of their team's starting rotations. To this point, these hurlers have fallen short of those expectations. 

With that, here are the 10 major-league pitchers who need to pitch well in the second half of the season. And they need to do so immediately. 

Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves

If you look at the latest trade rumors involving the Atlanta Braves, they're all about the team trying to acquire a starting pitcher. On Sunday, the Braves brought Ben Sheets out of obscurity, gave him a start and got six scoreless innings in a win over the New York Mets.

Neither of those developments bode well for Mike Minor's immediate future in Atlanta's starting rotation. Neither of them would have become developments if not for Minor's struggles this season.

Minor has the worst ERA among NL starting pitchers at 5.97. (Tim Lincecum just pumped his fist. You're no longer on the bottom, Timmy!) He's allowed 91 hits in 92 innings. His strikeouts are going down while his walks are going up. Those numbers aren't trending well. 

MLB.com's Mark Bowman implies that Minor has two chances to show he should stay in the Braves' big-league rotation. He has a start Wednesday night against the Giants, with his appearance scheduled for Monday versus the Marlins. 

After that, the Braves have a week before the July 31 trade deadline. But general manager Frank Wren may well have acquired the starting pitcher he wants by then. With Sheets and Jair Jurrjens looking like solid starters in the middle of the rotation, there's only going to be one spot remaining. 

Minor may have already lost that spot in the rotation. But he still has the opportunity to make the Braves reconsider. 

Jonathan Sanchez, Kansas City Royals

UPDATE: I should've been quicker to post this. Sanchez was designated for assignment by the Royals on Tuesday, according to the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton.

The 2012 season has already been bad enough for Jonathan Sanchez.

He was the other end of the trade that sent Melky Cabrera from the Kansas City Royals to the San Francisco Giants. Cabrera has gone on to have an All-Star season (winning the game's MVP award to boot), and he leads the majors with 122 hits going into Tuesday's play. 

Meanwhile, Sanchez has made only 12 starts this season for the Royals, missing five weeks due to biceps tendinitis. His record is 1-6 with a 7.76 ERA, and he's allowed 65 hits in 53.1 innings. Oh, Sanchez has also walked 44 batters.

On Monday, Sanchez allowed seven runs and seven hits in just 1.1 innings versus the Seattle Mariners. Getting time off during the All-Star break appears not to have helped him at all. 

Sanchez's spot in the Royals' starting rotation doesn't look to be secure. Yet as the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton writes, Sanchez might actually stay in the rotation because the Royals really don't have anyone else to replace him at this point. Tuesday's scheduled starter, Everett Teaford, had to pitch on Monday because Sanchez was so ineffective.

The domino effect caused by manager Ned Yost having to tap out his bullpen might actually save Sanchez's spot in the rotation for one more turn. That's kind of amazing.

Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers

In his first start since the All-Star break Monday night, Rick Porcello was tagged for five runs and eight hits in 5.2 innings versus the Los Angeles Angels.

That did nothing to change the belief that the Detroit Tigers need to get starting pitching help before the trade deadline.

Porcello's 4.66 ERA is the second worst in the Tigers' rotation. He's allowed 136 hits in 102.1 innings. That hits total is the second highest in the major leagues, behind the Rays' James Shields. 

At just 23 years of age, Porcello still seems far too young for the Tigers to give up on. He's the same age as rookie teammate Drew Smyly, yet he has four seasons of big-league experience on his resume. 

With Smyly in the rotation and likely working with an innings limit in his first major-league season, his spot in the Tigers' starting five will presumably be taken by whichever pitcher general manager Dave Dombrowski might acquire at the trade deadline.

So Porcello's starting role probably isn't in immediate danger. If he keeps giving up four to five runs a game, however, the Tigers might decide that one of their younger prospects like Jacob Turner or Casey Crosby deserves a couple of Porcello's turns instead.

Of course, those prospects would likely be traded in any deadline deal for pitching, so Porcello might dodge yet another bullet there.

Heath Bell, Miami Marlins

The good news for Heath Bell and the Miami Marlins is that he's pitched two consecutive scoreless appearances since the All-Star break. 

The bad news for Bell is that he blew a save just before baseball's midsummer siesta, giving up three runs and three hits in just two-thirds of an inning. 

For now, that appears to have cost Bell his job as the Marlins' closer. Miami has had two save opportunities since beginning the second half of the season, and those went to Steve Cishek and Mike Dunn, respectively. That led the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi to wonder who would get the Marlins' next save opportunity. 

Bell was already removed from the closer's role once this season. To have lost the role twice in the same year doesn't look good for him. But ownership did sign him to a three-year, $27 million contract during the offseason. That's too much money not to eventually use him again as the closer.

It's possible Bell won't regain his role until the Marlins thin out their bullpen a bit at the trade deadline. That's assuming Miami considers itself a seller, however. If the Marlins feel they're still in the playoff race, they won't trade off anyone. And Bell will get a chance to pitch some meaningful ninth innings again soon.

Jeremy Guthrie, Colorado Rockies

For Jeremy Guthrie to still have a job in the Colorado Rockies' starting rotation is rather amazing.

Guthrie looked like a no-brainer candidate to be traded or designated for assignment while regularly giving up seven runs per game in mid-June. He didn't fare much better in the bullpen, either, as the Rockies were hoping he could straighten himself out in less stressful situations and boost what little trade value he might have had.

However, Guthrie has benefited from the total failure of the Rockies to assemble a five-man starting rotation this season. Things were so bad that manager Jim Tracy and GM Dan O'Dowd decided to go with a four-man rotation and limit the starters to 75 pitches per appearance. 

Guthrie has arguably been something of the veteran anchor the Rockies envisioned since moving to a four-man rotation. He allowed two runs in each of his previous starts before reverting back to form on Saturday by getting pounded for four runs and seven hits in less than five innings.

With Juan Nicasio requiring knee surgery—likely keeping him out until September, if not the rest of the season—the Rockies probably still need Guthrie in their rotation. But the return of Jeff Francis gives them another veteran starting pitcher, so Colorado doesn't have to keep Guthrie and his 6.14 ERA around for any sort of mentorship role. 

Josh Tomlin, Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians have already allowed the Detroit Tigers to leapfrog them in the AL Central standings. The Tribe now sits in third place, three games behind the front-running Chicago White Sox. 

With a division title and wild-card playoff spot at stake, how much longer can the Indians afford to keep Tomlin and his 5.45 ERA in their starting rotation? Tomlin has allowed 89 hits in 79.1 innings. Unfortunately, that means he fits right in with his fellow starting pitchers.

The Indians have been attached to outfielders like Carlos Quentin as we progress toward the trade deadline. But a starting pitcher might provide just as much if not more help during the second half of the season. 

If the Tribe brings in outside help for its rotation, that could push Tomlin to the bullpen. 

However, Tomlin did pitch well against the Tampa Bay Rays in his last start. He allowed one run and two hits over seven innings. Tomlin is scheduled to face the Rays again Tuesday night. Can he turn in a repeat performance, or will the Rays figure him out in their rematch? 

Kevin Correia, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their NL Central lead to the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, falling one game out of first place. During the All-Star break, a popular question was whether or not the Bucs would squander their division lead and plummet out of the race as they did last season. 

This Pirates team doesn't look like they'll collapse in the same way, due in large part to their starting pitching. A.J. Burnett and James McDonald have been fantastic at the top of Pittsburgh's rotation.

Perhaps it's unfair to single out Kevin Correia as the weak link in the Pirates' starting five. Erik Bedard has 10 losses and Jeff Karstens has a 4.15 ERA. 

Additionally, Correia has pitched relatively well in his past two starts, allowing five earned runs in 12 innings. But good lineups have pounded Correia throughout the season. If the Pirates are going to stay in the NL Central and wild-card races, he'll need to pitch better against stiffer competition. 

Otherwise, Correia's spot in the rotation looks like an ideal spot to swap out with any starting pitcher the Pirates might acquire. Trade rumors have attached Pittsburgh to batters like Carlos Quentin and Justin Upton.

However, if those players end up being too expensive, it will be easier for general manager Neal Huntington to get some pitching help instead.

Bruce Chen, Kansas City Royals

With Jonathan Sanchez being designated for assignment, it seems unlikely that the Royals will boot another pitcher from their starting rotation. But Bruce Chen is pitching badly enough that such a move has to be considered.

Chen has allowed six runs in each of his past three starts. He's given up 24 hits (seven of them home runs) in 13.2 innings during that span. That has boosted Chen's ERA up to 5.50 for the season. 

With Chen pitching near the top of the Royals' rotation, it was probably a fallacy to expect this team to be a sleeper contender in the AL Central. As their starting pitching has failed, Kansas City finds itself in fourth place, just 1.5 games out of the division cellar. 

Realistically, Chen's starting spot isn't in much danger, barring a total collapse. The Royals are already short-handed with Sanchez now gone. And with Mike Montgomery's disappointing season in Triple-A, help is probably not coming from the minors. 

Ryan Verdugo, Vin Mazzaro and Everett Teaford do give the Royals some options if and when the team decides it can't put Chen out there every fifth day anymore. 

Roy Oswalt, Texas Rangers

My B/R colleague, Zach Rymer, largely covered this territory on Monday while highlighting Roy Oswalt as one of five American League players who need a good week. But I'm going to pile on.

Oswalt was bound to be rusty after sitting out the first three months of the season while waiting the right offer from a team he wanted to play for (i.e., the Rangers or Cardinals). But the Rangers are likely surprised by how Oswalt has performed in his first four starts for them. 

Though he allowed one run in two of his four appearances, Oswalt gave up 16 (14 earned) in the other two. He's giving up an average of 10 hits per outing, and 15.7 hits per nine innings.

Here's your Captain Obvious statement for the day: That's not the kind of production the Rangers expected from Oswalt when they signed him. He's been anything but a stabilizing influence to the back end of the team's rotation.

The Rangers are pursuing a starting pitcher as the trade deadline approaches. And they don't just want a serviceable pitcher. They want an ace like Cole Hamels or Zack Greinke, a true No. 1 stud.

When the Rangers get their man, that will push everyone else back a spot in the rotation. Will that end up nudging Oswalt to the bullpen? With the way he's pitched, there may be no other choice.

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

Finally, we have the pitcher that stood out as the poster child for this slideshow. If there's one pitcher who needs to pitch better to keep his job, it's Tim Lincecum. 

Lincecum was baseball's worst starting pitcher in the first half of this season, compiling a 3-10 record and 6.42 ERA in 18 starts. Though he still struck out batters, Lincecum also showed decreased velocity and became hittable. In his first 18 starts, he allowed 103 hits in 96.2 innings. 

So if anyone needed a good outing after the All-Star break, it was Lincecum.

Fortunately for him and the San Francisco Giants, Lincecum had one. On Saturday against the Houston Astros, Lincecum pitched eight shutout innings, allowing only five hits while striking out 11 batters. It was his best performance of the season.

Yes, Lincecum had this success against the Astros, now the worst team in baseball. But that's exactly the sort of team that Lincecum should dominate if he's at his best. Had he struggled or been hit around, there would still be concern even if Lincecum won. 

There is still concern, of course. How will Lincecum fare against better competition? Though the Phillies are a disappointment this season, they should provide a more formidable test—especially with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard now back from injury. 

The Giants lead the NL West and should hold the Dodgers at bay through the rest of the season. But their chances will be better if Lincecum can be anywhere near the pitcher he's been during his previous five major-league seasons. 

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