Ubaldo Jimenez wins more and drops his WHIP significantly - from 1.47 to a solid 1.28 after the All-Star break.
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
Over the past two weeks we have investigated which hitters have a historical tendency to turn it on in the second half of the season. Now it's time to turn our attention to the pitching side of the ball and see who comes to play and who coasts through the end of the season.
Our sixth and final stop is in the National League Western Division where eight starting pitchers show significant changes from first to second half. Three of the four pitchers who improve their performance, pitch in San Francisco.
Matt Cain, Barry Zito and the ancient one Randy Johnson all improve after the All-Star break. Throw in 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum and you should have the makings for a challenge to the Los Angeles Dodgers this summer.
The Colorado Rockies also have a top second half guy in Ubaldo Jimenez. He wins more and drops his WHIP significantly - from 1.47 to a solid 1.28.
Going in the opposite direction are: Jonathan Sanchez (SF), Jason Marquis (COL), Chris Young (SD) and Dan Haren (AZ).
Marquis, in particular, has been the subject of trade rumors and this table shows that if you are a contending team you don't want your team to pick up Marquis. None of his statistics improve after the break, from his 50-37 record before to 30-37 after, his ERA that rises by almost three-quarters of a point or a WHIP which jumps from 1.35 to 1.51.
Lookout if you own Dan Haren, the second half has not been kind to him. An almost one-point rise in ERA and a rise in WHIP from 1.07 to 1.32 tells me he should be on your trading block.
First Half/Second Half Pitching Statistics for Selected NL Western Starters
