Early hook may seal hard-throwing SF Giants pitcher's fate in rotation

It has been no secret that hard-throwing SF Giants starter Jordan Hicks has struggled this season. Wednesday's rough outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he only pitched two innings may have sealed his fate in the rotation.

After Wednesday, Hicks saw his ERA climb up to an ugly 6.55 in nine starts and 45 and 1/3 innings pitched. That does not tell the whole story as his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) on the year is 3.48.

Unfortunately, he has been the victim of bad luck at times this season with bloop hits scoring runs or ground balls going between defenders. Such is the luck of a sinker-baller at times, but at the end of the day the stats show that a change may be in order.

SF Giants may need a rotation shakeup with Hicks struggling

It has seemed like an inevitability that Hayden Birdsong would be in the starting rotation at some point this year based on how well he has pitched coming out of the bullpen. Manager Bob Melvin put Birdsong in the game on Wednesday after he pulled Hicks and he had a rough outing as well, allowing three earned runs in three innings pitched.

Despite this, Birdsong has certainly earned the chance to be in the rotation. We saw how good he can be as a starter last season and we know that his future with the Giants is going to be as a rotation arm so it would make sense to move Birdsong into the rotation while moving Hicks into a relief role.

Another candidate to join the rotation is Kyle Harrison. The young lefty was called back up to the big leagues recently and has looked really strong coming out of the bullpen so far. The Giants may end up using him in the role Birdsong has filled thus far, but he could certainly earn his way into the rotation if he keeps it up.

Making a change in the rotation always has the potential to be messy. That is why the Giants have avoided rocking the boat up to this point. Yet, it seems like now is the time to give Birdsong a chance while moving Hicks back to the bullpen which is a place he has thrived in his career.

This does not mean the experiment with Hicks as a starter is completely over, but it seems evident that the Giants need someone else in his spot in the rotation to give them the best chance to win.