Houston, we have a problem.
It was no secret that the Houston Astros needed to prioritize their bullpen this offseason.
Houston has had one of the best bullpens in the majors in recent years, but it lost several key relievers to free agency this winter.
Last season, Héctor Neris, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek combined to throw 185 innings, which was roughly one-third of Houston’s bullpen workload. Kendall Graveman, who pitched 22 1/3 innings for the Astros last year, is additionally out for the season after offseason shoulder surgery.
Houston lost a lot of innings from their bullpen that ranked sixth in ERA last season. The Astros’ solution to that problem was to sign the best reliever on the market, closer Josh Hader. But six games into the season and that strategy looks like it may not have been the wisest.
Hader, 29, is off to a rough start in Houston. He blew his first save opportunity as an Astro on Tuesday allowing two runs on two hits. Hader entered the ninth with a 1-0 lead before giving up a two-run homer to David Schneider which gave Toronto a 2-1 come-from-behind win.