Houston Astros’ closer Josh Hader has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 12 with a left shoulder strain, and his postseason status is uncertain.
That’s not good for the Astros, especially because reliever Bryan Abreu hasn’t found success as Houston’s closer in the six-time All-Star’s absence.
To make matters worse, the Astros (79-67) might not even make the playoffs with the Seattle Mariners (78-68) and Texas Rangers (77-70) breathing down their necks. And it's difficult to play well down the stretch without an established finisher.
One MLB writer recently proposed a solution, and it involves a certain nine-time All-Star with plenty of late-inning experience.
Houston’s closer problem
Drew Koch of Fansided suggests the Astros turn to Craig Kimbrel, 37, in Hader’s absence. Here’s why:
“There was a time when Kimbrel was one of the most feared relievers in the game,” he writes. “ …Kimbrel’s a much different pitcher at this point in his career, however, yet the veteran knows how to deal with the high-pressure situations that come while pitching in the ninth inning with the game on the line.”
Kimbrel is a former two-time Reliever of the Year, and though it's a limited sample size, he’s allowed just one unearned run over eight appearances (6.0 IP) for Houston this season after signing a free-agent contract on Aug. 22.
That way Abreu could return as the Astros setup man, a role in which he’s thrived. He holds a 0.57 ERA over 49 appearances in the eighth inning this year, compared to a 7.63 mark over 17 games in the ninth.
Kimbrel likely won’t perform any worse than that as Houston’s closer, and then Abreu can go back to shutting down batters in the eighth. It might be something manager Joe Espada should consider with 16 games left in the regular season and a playoff berth on the line.