Hader has thrown 6 times on full rest (not back to back, not his 3rd game in 4 days) 5 1/3 innings, 1 run, 3 baserunners, 8 Ks In two back to back games 1 1/3 innings, 5 runs, 7 baserunners, 3 Ks One time in a situation where it wasn't back to back but was his 3rd game in 4 nights 1 inning, 2 runs, 3 baserunners, 1 K He has pitched in 9 of our 18 games even though only 2 have been save chances. Obviously you have to have him throw when you go through stretches without save opportunities, but Espada is using him too much. Last night he pitched in a back to back situation and Pressly hasn't thrown since Friday. The pitching has been so bad this year that without a doubt it has been hard to manage, but we have to be smarter about how we use this guy. I'll keep this thread to update his situational stats all year
I had no problem with him going into a situation like the game yesterday where it is a one-run game with a chance to still win -- and trying to show the team you are not conceding... but the back-to-backs numbers are concerning... we may need to give him the Kawhi treatment. Even more surprising is that Pressly was sitting in that situation, but matchups were probably in Hader's favor. Hader probably has to sit the next two days though. Just get through the AAA pitchers, and we'll be fine again on Friday.
The ship has sailed but I would've left Pressly as the closer and used Hader as a setup man/high leverage against lefties. He will be here for years and can earn the role that Pressly never lost. Pressly is a world champion closer so Hader would've understood the dynamic. Now the bullpen isn't quite in chaos but it isn't running on all cylinders either.
I did not expects Rafael Montero, Seth Martinez, and Tayler Scott being the best arms in the bullpen...
I think Espada is overusing him out of desperation, but it's clearly not working. He needs to adjust his thinking for sure.
He's pitched 5 times in 13 days...that is not gross overwork. Unfortunately Espada has to realize Hader's arm is charmin soft, like all time soft. No B2B's, 2 times in 4 days might be too much so probably shouldn't risk that. Make sure he gets plenty of rest and TLC. In fact they should just leave him at home if he hasn't had adequate rest. He threw 4 pitches yesterday, what was Espada thinking using him in a one run game.
We were down a run. He hasn’t done well in those spots. We lost anyway and he’s not available today if we need him for a save situation. This is becoming a pattern. Not completely blaming Espada but he needs to stop that trend.
I've had no previous experience with Hader - but if the b2b is really a legitimate thing... I will return to the cluster**** decision to let ~150+ innings walk out the door + losing another ~50/60 with Graveman, and your solution was a very good but very limited closer? There's still a ton of talent in the building and a lot of season left. But if this is the beginning of the end, choosing Baker over Click was the dagger - not as a shot at Baker, per se: but these past two offseasons have been abject disasters. Montero + Abreu; sitting on your hands all offseason and then throwing too much money at a limited solution. Just.... awful.
Choosing Baker over Click was definitely the dagger. We had just come off a WS title so a lot of us fans were still basking in that. We weren’t as mad as we should’ve been. We all thought, at the time, that it was odd and probably wrong. We were right. Smart move by Jim Crane to do it right as the fans were getting swept away by Astro WS euphoria. The timing minimized critical feedback, even from the media. In hindsight we see it all. Both sides (front office and fans) should be embarrassed. Click comes out of it looking great. Like he escaped the crazy house. as he should because he did.
The Astros have spent - this is truly staggering - $188M on Abreu, Hader & Montero. Imagine giving $188M to James Click......... I will never understand Crane enjoying the success he did with Luhnow and then Click, and somehow concluding he had it all wrong and driving this into the ditch.
So, people who analyze such things, what’s wrong with Hader? It’s easy to point to overuse, but he’s been giving up runs since game 1 of the season and quite consistently. I mean that stat that he’s given up 8 runs this season which equals the runs he gave up “ALL OF LAST SEASON” is eye-opening. Is it Minute Maid? Has there been that far of a fall-off in calling games from the catcher position (which might explain the struggles of other pitchers on the staff)? Has there been a falloff in Hader’s “stuff”? What are you seeing?
The $188M is spread over 3-5 years. It is disingenuous contextually to state the total sum. Astros' bigger problem is Hunter Brown and the level of Abreu's futility. There is no doubt Jose is injured. He clearly isn't being honest about his health but the manager believes a mere 2 days rest will cure everything despite having feasible backups (compared to Abreu's current state) between Singleton and Caratini. Jon finally got consistent ABs and produced by increasing his OPS by 300 points. Espada also needs to reconsider his usage of Hader. Having only one open date in 21 days hasn't helped. Montero is overpaid but bouncing back.
Hader can pitch b2b games, but only after 2 days rest. Astros have a gold mine among Abreu/ Pressly/Hader. It shouldn't be difficult to navigate their usage over the course of a season. The crazy opening gauntlet of injuries, SOS, and lack of open dates is probably unprecedented. Schedule will lighten up, team will get healthier, and Espada will do better.
How does that change what I said? I very clearly wasn't suggesting the money was spent in a single offseason, nor did I state it would've been. The point is that however Click would've spent it, it almost certainly would not have been dumped on three players.
