Padres' Josh Hader: Three scoreless appearances in ST
Rotowire
Hader has yet to give up a run in his three innings of work in the Cactus League.
The left-hander has had some command issues in Arizona with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch, but he's also allowed just two hits with a pair of strikeouts. Hader had the most ups-and-downs of his career in 2022 with a 5.22 ERA between the Brewers and the Padres, but the stuff is still elite, and he should have plenty of save chances for the Padres in 2023.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Sets record with new deal
Rotowire
Hader agreed to a one-year, $14.1 million contract with the Padres on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
It's the biggest salary an arbitration-eligible reliever has ever received, and it comes in the left-hander's final year before being eligible for free agency. Hader had an ugly and uncharacteristic 5.22 ERA between the Brewers and Padres in 2022, though that figure was heavily inflated by five outings in which he gave up three runs or more. He still went 36-for-40 in save chances, and he should be once of the top closers in baseball again in 2023.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Closes out Game 2
Rotowire
Hader struck out the side in the ninth and earned the save during Game 2 of the NLCS, allowing zero hits and zero walks in the 8-5 win over the Phillies.
Hader continued his dominant 2022 postseason in Game 2, needing just 13 pitches to strike out the three Phillies he faced in the ninth and secure the victory. The southpaw earned his fourth postseason save, and he has now tallied 7.1 scoreless innings and allowed only one hit while striking out 10 since the playoffs began. After an outlier regular season where Hader struggled to a career-high 5.22 ERA, the 28-year-old is turning things around in the most important games of the season. Since the beginning of September, Hader has allowed only one earned run over 15.2 innings while striking out 20.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Notches 36th save
Rotowire
Hader registered a save against the Giants on Monday, striking out one batter over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
The Padres entered the ninth inning up 7-0, so it looked like Hader would get the night off. However, Tim Hill was very wild and gave up four runs while retiring just one batter, creating a save situation for Hader. The veteran closer settled things down with a strikeout of Austin Slater before hitting Joey Bart with a pitch, and he finished off the save by inducing a flyout. Hader appeared to have lost his way throughout much of August, but since the final day of that month he's allowed just one earned run across 12 appearances while racking up seven saves in eight chances and posting a 14:2 K:BB.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Picks up 35th save
Rotowire
Hader allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-2 win over the White Sox.
Hader pitched around a one-out single from Eloy Jimenez to protect a three-run lead. While he took a blown save in Wednesday's extra-inning win over the Dodgers, Hader has still gone 8.2 innings since he last allowed an earned run. He's converted five of six save chances across those nine appearances. The 28-year-old is 35-for-39 in save chances this year with a 5.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 80:21 K:BB in 49.1 innings between the Padres and the Brewers.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Blows fourth save
Rotowire
Hader blew the save during Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning victory against the Dodgers, allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one.
Hader entered in the top of the ninth to protect a one-run lead and surrendered a leadoff Trea Turner double on his first pitch. A subsequent error put runners on the corners and a two-out passed ball let Turner in to tie the game. The blown save is the 28-year-old's first since Aug. 9, as he continues to pitch to his potential this month despite the poor result Tuesday. Over nine contests dating back to Aug. 31, Hader has permitted one earned run on six baserunners while striking out nine across 8.2 innings.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Records another save
Rotowire
Hader earned a save against the Cardinals on Wednesday with a perfect ninth inning.
Hader threw a strike on just six of 12 pitches and didn't fan any batters for the first time in four outings, but he retired St. Louis in order to close out the 1-0 Padres win. The veteran reliever was demoted from the closer role in late August but has since reclaimed the position and successfully recorded five straight save opportunities. Since Aug. 31, he's posted a 1.29 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB over seven innings covering seven appearances.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Tallies 33rd save
Rotowire
Hader saved Saturday's 2-0 win against the Diamondbacks, allowing one hit and striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Hader was brought in to face the top of Arizona's order and worked around a Jake McCarthy one-out single to lock down his 33rd save in 36 opportunities. The 28-year-old has recorded a save in four of his last six outings after failing to do so in seven straight appearances and possesses a 1.80 ERA across five September innings. Despite a high 5.84 ERA, Hader has suffered only two negative marks (one loss, one blown save) in 17 appearances since July 22.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Strikes out side in save
Rotowire
Hader saved Tuesday's 2-0 win against the Mariners, allowing one hit while striking out three in a scoreless ninth inning.
It took 24 pitches, but Hader was able to protect a two-run lead while recording three strikeouts in an outing for the first time with San Diego. All four batters the 28-year-old faced reached two-ball counts, though he was still able to make it three straight outings without issuing a free pass. Hader has surrendered one run over his last five appearances while converting all three save chances.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Clean inning for 31st save
Rotowire
Hader pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Hader was solid, retiring the side on nine pitches against the Diamondbacks' two most productive hitters of the night -- Daulton Varsho and Corbin Carroll -- as well as pinch hitter Carson Kelly. The save was Hader's second in his last three appearances, though he's allowed one run in three innings in that span in the non-save opportunity. Notably, Nick Martinez pitched the eighth inning Wednesday, earning a hold. Hader's at a 6.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 68:20 K:BB through 41.2 innings this year between the Brewers and the Padres. For now, the Padres' bullpen looks like a committee, though it's clear Hader's in the mix for save chances.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Converts save chance
Rotowire
Hader allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Giants.
Hader was removed from the closer role Aug. 20. Nevertheless, with Nick Martinez unavailable, Hader was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning. After allowing a leadoff single, Hader retired the next three batters to record his 30th save of the campaign and first since July 29. It remains unclear whether this outing will convince the Padres to reinstate Hader as the closer, or if he will have to string together multiple positive performances to see consistent opportunities in the ninth inning once again.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Pelted in non-save situation
Rotowire
Hader gave up six earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning in a 15-7 loss to the Royals on Sunday.
Hader was recently removed from the closer role in San Diego after he struggled since coming over at the trade deadline. Manager Bob Melvin decided to give Hader a chance to pitch in a lower-leverage situation Sunday, as the Padres were trailing by three runs in the eighth. Hader was promptly tagged for six runs and could only get one out. The poor showing means he likely still has much to figure out before he can return to higher-leverage work.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Out as closer, for now
Rotowire
Manager Bob Melvin said Saturday that Hader will be given "a little break" from the closer role, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
This seems like a quick hook for a player the Padres just gave up a lot to acquire via trade, but Hader has allowed six runs in his last three appearances, walking four while recording just four outs in that span. The team apparently wants to try to get him right in lower-leverage spots for the time being, with the hope of eventually reinstalling the lefty in the ninth inning. Luis Garcia and Robert Suarez figure to see save chances in the interim as part of a late-inning committee.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Struggles again Friday
Rotowire
Hader (2-5) allowed three runs (two earned) on a hit and a walk without recording an out Friday, taking the loss versus the Nationals.
Hader entered with the game tied at 3-3 and made a mess of it. One run came home on his own error, and he followed that by coughing up a two-run home run to Alex Call before Luis Garcia was brought in to complete the inning. Hader's struggles from the end of his Milwaukee tenure have followed him to San Diego -- he's given up six runs (five earned) while posting a 4:5 K:BB through 3.1 innings across five appearances as a Padre. For the season, he has a 5.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 63:16 K:BB while going 29-for-32 in save chances through 37.1 innings across 42 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Blows save Tuesday
Rotowire
Hader allowed three runs on a hit, three walks and a hit batsman while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning, taking a blown save in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Giants.
Hader was looking for his first save as a Padre, but he labored in the ninth inning, twice issuing bases-loaded walks before giving up the tying run on a sacrifice fly. He needed 37 pitches (19 strikes) in the shaky outing, and he would also be denied the win as Tim Hill finished the frame before the Padres walked it off. Hader had a shaky stretch just before the All-Star break, and he's now given up four runs through seven innings in the second half. The closer is 29-for-32 in save chances while adding a 4.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 63:15 K:BB through 36.2 innings this year.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Nabs win in Friars debut
Rotowire
Hader (2-4) picked up the win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rockies, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Acquired from Milwaukee on Monday, Hader entered a 2-2 game and breezed through the bottom of the Colorado order before fellow ex-Brewer Trent Grisham walked it off with a solo shot. Hader had some uncharacteristic stumbles before the All-Star break, but in five appearances since he's allowed only one run in five innings with an 8:1 K:BB, and he should provide the Padres with some stability in the closer role.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Josh Hader: Lands in San Diego
Rotowire
The Padres acquired Hader from the Brewers on Monday in exchange for left-handers Taylor Rogers and Robert Gasser, right-hander Dinelson Lamet and outfielder Esteury Ruiz, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
San Diego will part with an extensive package of established big-league pitching talent (Rogers and Lamet) and two prospects (Ruiz and Gasser) to fortify the back of its bullpen with Hader, a four-time All-Star who has arguably been baseball's top reliever since he reached the majors in 2017. Hader has proven more vulnerable to the long ball in 2022 and has seen his ratios suffer a bit as a result (4.24 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), but he's still sporting an exceptional 33.3 K-BB% and had converted 29 of his 31 save chances on the year. He'll provide a significant upgrade at closer over Rogers, who had recently been dropped from the role after a series of poor outings. The Brewers, meanwhile, are likely to either elevate ace setup man Devin Williams to the closer's role or give Rogers a chance to reclaim his old job as he changes organizations.
... See More... See Less
Brewers' Josh Hader: Notches 29th save
Rotowire
Hader allowed one hit and struck out three batters in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his league-leading 29th save in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox. He did not walk a batter.
The left-hander threw only 12 of 22 pitches for strikes, and the only blemish against him was a one-out single from Bobby Dalbec. Hader gave up 12 runs over his last six outings prior to the All-Star break, though he's been better since the intermission with one run allowed and a 7:1 K:BB across four frames. He doesn't appear to be fully back to his dominant early-season form but is trending in the right direction.
... See More... See Less
Brewers' Josh Hader: Shaky in save
Rotowire
Hader picked up a save Sunday, allowing a run on two hits while striking out two in a 10-9 victory over Colorado.
After striking out the first two batters, Hader gave up a triple and a single to cut the lead to one. With Kris Bryant at the plate, Hader got behind in the count 2-0 before getting Bryant to softly ground out, ending the game. Hader has earned the save in three of his last four opportunities despite allowing 13 runs over his last 6.1 frames. The lefty has seen his ERA jump from 1.05 on July 3 to 4.50 after Sunday's outing. With the Brewers battling for a spot in the postseason, manager Craig Counsell may be less patient with Hader if his struggles continue.
... See More... See Less
Brewers' Josh Hader: Melts down Friday
Rotowire
Hader (0-4) allowed six runs on five hits and a hit batter in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Friday versus the Giants.
Hader gave up three home runs, including a walkoff grand slam to Mike Yastrzemski after solo shots from Joey Bart and Darin Ruf made it a one-run game. After starting the year in dominant form for two months, Hader's season has taken a sour turn of late. He's allowed 15 runs across 12.1 innings in his last 14 appearances, which includes both of his blown saves this year. He's 27-for-29 in save chances with a 4.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 52:11 K:BB in 30 innings overall. Extended struggles haven't often been a thing in the southpaw's career, so it's worth monitoring how he responds after the All-Star break.
