The Houston Astros were three outs away from a series victory over the surging Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. They may have held a three-run lead, but there was a problem—Houston was without its All-Star closer, Josh Hader, who landed on the injured list Tuesday with a left shoulder strain.
Instead, Bryan Abreu was tasked with sending the Red Sox back to Boston with a series loss. He promptly allowed back-to-back singles, bringing the tying run to the plate, and it seemed he’d fail to convert yet another save opportunity this season.
But then Abreu found another gear. He induced a popout, struck out the next two batters and recorded his first save of the year in a 4-1 Astros victory.
“And then Abreu gave up just two singles, and then he got really pissed off, and we started seeing 100 and 101 [mph],” Manager Joe Espada said, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. “He got angry.”
Abreu has been exceptional out of the bullpen this season, boasting a 1.64 ERA with 25 holds in 54 games. However, he failed to convert his first four save opportunities of the year before finally recording a save on Wednesday night.
Hader, who is tied for the third-most saves in MLB with 28, was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 11 and is currently seeking a second opinion for his left shoulder strain, McTaggart reported Wednesday. His timetable to return is unclear.
“It’s sad news that Josh has got this stuff, but I still have to do the same thing, prepare as always and try to just move a little bit later [in the bullpen],” Abreu said.
Abreu’s outing followed an overall stellar performance from the Astros’ pitching staff. Hunter Brown tossed 6.2 innings of 1-run baseball, and Bennett Sousa recorded four consecutive outs in relief to set the stage for Abreu.
With around a month and a half left in the baseball season, the Astros will need their bullpen to continue to step up in Hader’s absence. The Seattle Mariners are just one game behind Houston for the AL West lead and have won eight of their last 10 games.
The Astros begin a three-game series vs. Baltimore on Friday.