The Houston Astros have found themselves on a hot streak over the last couple of weeks with six victories in their last 10 games after an up and down start to the year.
Having to replace arguably the two most important players on the team was never going to be easy, but the Astros are appearing to now find their way into a groove.
Part of the reason they are starting to figure things out is because of how reliable the back end of their bullpen has been.
As a whole, the unit ranks No. 3 in baseball with a collective ERA of 2.64, but it has been their closer who has been not only their best, but arguably the best in all of baseball.
When Houston gave Josh Hader one of the most-lucrative contracts for a reliever in baseball history -- worth $95 million over five years -- many questioned if the left-hander was worth it.
Those questions only got louder last season when Hader pitched to the second-highest ERA of his career with a mark of 3.80.
The season prior, in 2022 with the San Diego Padres, Hader had posted a 1.28 ERA and looked absolutely dominant.
This year, he has been virtually unhittable so far.
He entered Tuesday's contest with a 0.64 ERA and 0.714 WHIP to go along with eight saves, but despite the fact he got tagged for a two-run homer during that appearance, Hader is on pace for what could be the best season of his storied career.
Last year, it was fair to question whether or not the Astros made the right move by giving Hader that monster contract.
He was not terrible by any means, but he was also not anywhere close to justifying the price.
Houston made a bold decision in choosing him over Ryan Pressly for the closer role ahead of last season, and that choice had yet to pay off.
Now, it seems clear and obvious that signing Hader was not just a savvy move, but a bullpen-altering one.
The Astros will need the offense to find its groove if they want to come anywhere near replicating the success they have seen over the better part of the last decade.
With that being said, they can feel confident game in and game out that if they give their closer a lead headed into the ninth inning, there's a terrific chance he will come in and secure a win.
That kind of confidence can be invaluable to a team which is just now starting to play up to its capabilities.
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