San Diego Padres' Josh Hader Gives Up Six Runs In Loss to Royals

Relief pitcher Josh Hader's struggles with the Padres continued when he allowed six runs off six hits and two walks in the eighth inning of Sunday's game. The reliever lost his role as the team's closer last week and now has a 25.71 ERA over seven appearances with the Padres since joining the club earlier this month.

San Diego Padres' reliever Josh Hader's struggles continued Sunday afternoon in Kansas City.

With his team trailing 9-6, Hader entered the game in relief in the top of the eighth inning, tasked with the job of keeping the game relatively close. It may not have been a nail-biter of a game, but with the Padres' star-studded lineup, the club was still within striking distance.

The results were disastrous, as the 28-year-old lefty allowed six runs off six hits and two walks, as any chance of a Padres' comeback quickly disappeared before their eyes. The Padres lost 15-9 to the Royals.

Hader exited the game in the top of the eighth inning, throwing 34 pitches and getting just one out. Padres' manager Bob Melvin had apparently seen enough.

Since joining the Padres earlier this month, Hader has a 25.71 ERA and 4.76 WHIP over just 4.2 inning pitched in seven appearances.

The four-time All-Star and three time National League Reliever of the Year was near-perfect for the first two months of the season, allowing just four hits and no runs over 18 appearances. Hader gave up his first pair of runs of the season June 7, pitching in relief in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Though Hader hit some speed bumps over the next month, he remained remarkably effective. On July 12, Hader had a 1.82 ERA and .152 opponent batting average through 31 games.

Since a three-run stinker in Minnesota July 13 — when he collected his first loss of the season — he's been an entirely different pitcher. It's been a tale of two halves for Hader.

Over his final two and a half weeks with the Milwaukee Brewers, Hader gave up 10 earned runs over 4.1 innings. The six-game sample size before the trade deadline was large enough for any buyer to beware.

Since July 13, over 13 appearances between the Brewers and Padres — six with the Brewers, seven with the Padres — Hader has allowed 16 runs over nine innings, for an astronomical 22.00 ERA and 3.56 WHIP.

Interestingly enough, Hader hasn't had a home run problem. He's given up five home runs, but the bulk of the damage done by opposing hitters has come from driving the ball into the gap and keeping the ball in the field of play. Hitters are teeing off on him, hitting .468 since July 13.

The Padres acquired Hader prior to the August 2 trade deadline in exchange for pitchers Taylor Rogers and Dinelson Lamet and prospects Robert Gasser and Esteury Ruiz. Gasser and Ruiz are currently ranked the no. 11 and no. 8 prospects in the Brewers' farm system on MLB.com.

Hader is an $11 million payroll hit in 2022 and is set to make even more in the final year of arbitration next season.

The Padres are 10-13 since acquiring Hader, Juan Soto, Josh Bell and Brandon Drury at the trade deadline, and currently sit in the third wild card spot in the National League. They hold a 1.5-game-lead over Hader's former team.

The Padres open a three-game series in San Francisco Monday. Last week, the Padres were swept at home by the Cleveland Guardians, who the Padres acquired pitcher Mike Clevinger from as part of a seismic nine-player trade.