Houston Astros Closer Gives Lame Excuse for His Latest Choke Job

It’s only early May, but Houston Astros closer Josh Hader already looks like one of the biggest free agent busts of the offseason.

The Astros’ $95 million closer malfunctioned once again in a close game Sunday. With the score tied at 4-4 heading into the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners, Hader’s job was simply to keep the game tied and give Houston’s bats a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth.

Instead, Hader missed the play. With one out and an 0-2 count on Cal Raleigh, Hader launched a sinker right up the middle that Raleigh ripped into the Crawford Boxes for a solo homer.

Hader recovered to finish the round without incident, but the damage was done. The Astros couldn’t rally in the bottom of the inning, losing their second straight game and falling to 12-22.

After the game, Hader gave a weak explanation for why he and setup man Ryan Pressly (who allowed the tying run) have been so ineffective this season.

Hader basically said, “This sport is tough,” without taking responsibility for his struggles, even though his speech in Raleigh was an obvious mistake. He also doesn’t seem willing to make adjustments that might correct his poor performance. “We do what we do, we work hard, we stick to our routines and ultimately it will work out for us,” he said.

Maybe, but Houston can’t afford to wait any longer. The team is already 10 games below .500 and seven games behind the first-place Mariners. The Astros need better results ASAP if they want to start chipping away at this deficit and get back into playoff contention.

At 1-3 with a 6.14 ERA, Hader isn’t helping. He has as many defeats as saves (three) and was completely unreliable at the end of the match. Houston is paying him to be one of the best defenders in the game, but instead he’s been one of the worst.

This must change as soon as possible. If not, the Astros need to find someone else who can handle the ninth inning.