5-4-3 Baseball Roundup - 2nd Half Kickoff

With the trade deadline looming and the 2nd half of the season in full swing what better time for our 5-4-3 Baseball Roundup. This week Mr. Yoder I (red) and II (black) take their turns at the dish discussing the players to watch in the second half, teams that need to make a move, and managers on the hot seat.

5 Players To Watch In The 2nd Half

1. CC Sabathia - Remember his heroics in Milwaukee in the 2nd half last season? He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 7 Complete Games, and 3 Shutouts. Thus far in the Big Apple he's a respectable, but understated 9-6 with a 3.66 ERA. In order to keep pace and ultimately surpass the BoSox, Sabathia will need to call on his Milwaukee form to lead the Bombers.

2. Albert Pujols - Of course, most of the media attention on Albert Pujols in the second half of the season will be his quest for the Triple Crown, the first since 1967. However, what has been understated is what happens to the Cards if Pujols starts to slip from his amazing start. With his almost historic production, the Cardinals are still even in the L column with the Cubs. Any drop in production could lead St. Louis to missing out on the playoffs.

3. Pedro Martinez - Welcome back Pedro. Surprisingly, the Phillies signed him and then instantly put him on the 15-Day DL. Honestly, anything positive from Pedro would be a bonus for Philadelphia this season given his injury-plagued end with the Mets. It's a risk relying on him down the stretch, but the Phillies are good enough to afford to play high stakes poker with the former Cy Young winner.

4. Milton Bradley - The $30 million headache for the Cubs has to turn around his attitude, and more importantly, his production at the plate if the Cubs have any hope of reaching the playoffs. Bradley is hitting a shocking .239 with only 6 HR and 21 RBIs overall, with even worse numbers from the left side. He's already gotten one hitting coach fired and is now being personally tutored by Lou Pinella to find some of his form from last year. While it might be unfair to blame all of the Cubs problems on Bradley, a hot streak would undo a lot of the damage.

5. Josh Hamilton - The hero of last season's HR derby struggled in the 2nd half last season, admittedly partly due to the hangover of his derby swings. This season has seen Hamilton battle injuries and struggle mightily (.240, 7HR, 27RBI). With Texas still in the AL West race it'll be up to Hamilton to help the Rangers overcome their annual late summer fade.

4 Teams That Need To Make A Move

1. San Francisco - With the help of young players like Pablo Sandoval (above) and an amazing pitching staff, the Giants have been one of the pleasant surprises this season. However, offense has always been a problem by the Bay and they'll need to add a bat (Aubrey Huff?) to hold off Colorado and others for the NL Wild Card.

2. Texas - The surprise of the baseball season so far is the Rangers being a legitimate threat to the Angels in the AL West. As of tonight they sit only 3 games back, but need to shore up their pitching if they want to make a run at the division title. I challenge anyone except the baseball nuts to name me 1 starter after Kevin Millwood and 1 bullpen pitcher after Frank "chair toss" Francisco. They have to add some depth to this young pitching staff to last to late September.

3. Chi Sox - GM Kenny Williams' favorite childhood game show must have been Let's Make A Deal. The MLB's Monty Hall is always a mover and a shaker at the Trade Deadline. He's already tried and failed to make a deal for Jake Peavy, so expect him to possibly add another arm or bat for the stretch run to overtake Detroit in the AL Central.

4. St. Louis - Every year, the Cardinals seem to get the most out of the least talented roster among NL contenders. While they are currently 1st in the mediocre Central, they need an impact trade if they want to seriously compete with the Dodgers and Phillies for the NL pennant. Mark DeRosa was a nice start, but another starting pitcher and a corner outfielder could make this team the NL favorite.

3 Managers On The Hot Seat

1. Joe Girardi - The Yankees manager is by nature always on the hot seat, its a part of the job. In fact, I'm surprised Girardi survived a year without making the playoffs. The Yanks' have had a good run of form recently, but they need to make the playoffs if the Girardi/Cashman regime is to stay in place. Hank Steinbrenner doesn't exactly seem to have the patience of Job, at least the nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

2. Lou Piniella - As a Cubs fan, I can really empathize with Sweet Lou and this team's struggles. However, Lou and Jim Hendry were behind the offseason addition of a left-handed bat (who turned into Milton Bradley) and the shakeup of a 97 win team. While injuries have played a part, Pinella's inability to break through to slumping hitters like Soriano and Bradley have led to frustration, which is becoming more and more evident every day in Pinella's postgame comments. If the Cubs go down in flames, especially in transitioning to new ownership, I could see Pinella walking away from the Wrigleyville circus.

3. Eric Wedge - Frankly, Wedge should have been fired a long time ago. Ever since the ALCS loss to the Red Sox a couple years back the Indians have fallen in the tank. GM Mark Shapiro should take some of the blame because talent-wise the team is nowhere close to where they were two years ago. Cleveland needs a major shakeup, sooner rather than later.