Astros’ June surge wouldn’t have happened without this area of the roster stepping up big

After so much doom and gloom to begin the season, the Houston Astros enter the final day of June sitting just 1.5 games back of the final wild card spot in the American League and 2 games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. It's a testament to how mediocre the AL is, but what can't be ignored is that the Astros have turned around their own fortunes.

Houston began the year by going 12-20 over the season's first month. As terrible as that sounds, it's worth noting that in 2024 they began the year 12-24 and wound up winning the division crown. May was a month of treading water. The club finished 15-14, providing little clarity on what the path forward should look like.

However, in June, the Astros have lifted off. They've gone 15-11 so far this month to pull and are closing in on the .500 mark for the year. That development has been spurred on by one key development -- the bullpen is good again.

Through May 31, Houston's relief corps combined for an abysmal showing, ranking dead last in ERA with a 5.16 mark. While there were other complications with the team, the bullpen was one of the biggest obstacles to playing consistent, winning baseball.

However, since June 3, the unit has been lights out, ranking third in MLB in ERA (2.40) and fWAR (1.3). Suddenly, the script has been flipped, and there's one big reason why. June 3 was the day that Josh Hader was activated from the IL and returned to action.

Josh Hader's impact on the Astros' bullpen is profound, which has led to a return to the playoff hunt

Since coming off the IL, Hader has a 0.75 ERA and seven saves while logging 12 appearances and 12 innings pitched. The star lefty is striking out batters at a 44.2% clip, his best mark since 2021, and has been downright unhittable, with a .053 batting average against.

Of course, it's not just Hader who is showing out. The rest of the relievers leading up to him have almost all stepped up their game. For anyone paying attention, this isn't a new phenomenon.

In 2025, Hader last pitched on August 8, and from Opening Day through that date, the Houston bullpen had a 3.30 that ranked second in the majors. From August 9 onward, that number ballooned to a 23rd-ranked 4.62 mark, and the relievers' struggles were a major reason why the Astros cratered down the stretch and missed the playoffs.

It might seem silly to suggest that one reliever, even one as good as Hader, can have that kind of dramatic impact, but we've seen twice now in back-to-back years that the data supports that conclusion. It's not so much that Hader's performance changes the calculus (though it plays a role), but rather that, with him closing out the ninth, it slides everyone back down in the pecking order and builds a sense of comfort that can't be overstated.

With that in mind, perhaps Houston can turn its attention away from dealing pieces like Hader away and instead begin focusing on what it needs to bring in at the trade deadline in order to solidify the roster and make a proper run at a playoff berth.

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