A few weeks ago, at the trade deadline, the Milwaukee Brewers shocked the entire world when they traded former All-Star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres.
A few weeks into his Padres tenure, and the Brewers don’t look so crazy now.
Hader has struggled since joining the Padres, posting an 8.10 ERA.
For the season he’s 2-4 with a 4.58 ERA, which is quite unlike the Hader we’re used to seeing.
Last night, he did something else uncharacteristic.
With one out in the top of the ninth, the Washington Nationals had the bases loaded and Nelson Cruz at the plate.
Hader proceeded to walk Cruz, allowing the go-ahead run to score, which prompted some boos from the San Diego faithful.
Josh Hader walks in the go-ahead run and the boos are raining down at Petco Park pic.twitter.com/mSfmLs4E89
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 19, 2022
Hader Struggles Versus Nationals
It’s safe to say that right now, Hader isn’t exactly a fan favorite in San Diego.
An 8.10 ERA through his first four games with the Padres will attest to that.
This is not the Josh Hader we’ve become so accustomed to seeing.
This is not the dominant player we saw for so many years in Milwaukee.
So far, that trade hasn’t worked out so well for the Padres.
Not that it worked out any better for the Brewers, but after Hader’s recent struggles, the Brewers don’t look so crazy for trading him anymore.
While Hader did inherit that mess in the ninth inning and the two runs that scored were charged to Yu Darvish, walking in two runs is not a good way to endear yourself to the fanbase of your new team, even if the runners weren’t yours.
We’ll see if the Padres can find what’s wrong with Hader and get him back to where he once was.
NEXT: Padres Veteran Comments On Fernando Tatis Jr.