Changes ahead for White Sox’ rotation?

Sunday was a bad day for the White Sox.

They were outslugged by the Astros 11-9 at U.S. Cellular Field, and they lost their second straight home series in the process.

Sunday also was a good day for the Sox.

If you were thinking rookie manager Robin Ventura was going to be loyal to underachieving players from the start of the season to the finish, you discovered that is not the case.

Without much prompting, Ventura said struggling starter Philip Humber simply has to be better. Then — with the same even tone — Ventura suggested Humber has pitched himself from the starting rotation to the bullpen.

That is obviously bad news for Humber, but it should be good news for White Sox fans as the season moves forward.

Over the first two-plus months of the season, Ventura has been extremely loyal to a host of struggling players.

Despite batting under .200, Brent Morel was getting pats on the back and a regular shift at third base before a back injury landed him on the disabled list.

A mere month ago, Dayan Viciedo kept running out to left field despite a .196 batting average and .226 on-base percentage.

Gordon Beckham, Gavin Floyd and much of the White Sox’ bullpen also have been given the benefit of the doubt and plenty of time to get it turned around.

Well, 60 games are in the books, and it looks like Ventura is going to start pulling back on the leash.

Humber was a great story early in the season, pitching a perfect game at Seattle on April 21. In 9 starts since, the right-hander is 1-4 with a 7.50 ERA. And let’s not forget, Humber was 1-4 with a 5.01 ERA in the second half of last season.

He is a great teammate and solid citizen, but Humber works in a business that demands high performance, and he hasn’t been getting it done.

The Sox are going to need strong starting pitching if they hope to stay atop the AL Central.

In Chris Sale and Jake Peavy, they have two of the top starters in baseball.

They also have some interesting options if Humber (2-4, 5.92 ERA) — and/or Floyd (4-6, 5.38) — loses Ventura’s support.

John Danks (sore shoulder) is going to pitch a rehab game for Class AAA Charlotte on Tuesday night, and the left-hander is likely to get 1 more start there after that.

Danks (3-4, 5.70 ERA) insists he is 100 percent healthy, so he should be much better when he returns from the disabled list.

As it stands now, Danks could start for the White Sox on June 22 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Danks never used any injury excuses when he was going bad early, but he was consistently flying open on his delivery and either missing his spots or getting hit hard.

When Danks returns, the Sox could keep his replacement, Jose Quintana, in the rotation and move out Humber. If Floyd continues to flounder, you could see general manager Kenny Williams make a trade for a starter such as the Cubs’ Ryan Dempster.

The Sox are low on money and prospects to trade, so you also could see them bring up another minor-league starter to bolster the rotation.

Quintana (1-1, 2.05 ERA) has been a pleasant surprise, and there are three more intriguing candidates down on the farm.

At Charlotte, left-hander Charlie Leesman is 6-4 and his 2.40 ERA ranks fourth in the International League.

Right-hander Terry Doyle has taken no-hitters into the ninth and eighth innings in 2 of his last 3 starts. He is 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA for the Knights.

At Class AA Birmingham, left-hander Pedro Hernandez (7-2, 2.91 ERA) ranks second in the Southern League in wins and third in ERA. He came over from the San Diego Padres in the Carlos Quentin trade.

sgregor@dailyherald.com