Josh Hader earned National League Reliever of the Month honors thanks to his all-but- unhittable April for the Padres.
He saved 10 games, tops in the majors, and allowed just one run in 13 innings of work. It’s easy perhaps to give up only one run when opponents are hitting less than .100 against you – .093 to be exact.
Hader is in his first full season with the Padres after a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline last year.
It was a West Coast sweep for NL pitchers of the month, as the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw also won. He posted a 1.89 ERA and enjoyed his 200th career victory.
It’s also that time of year – the Padres and their arch rivals will meet for the first time this season, with Petco Park the site for the clash.
The series, which begins Friday after an off day for both teams, also is their first meeting since the Friars eliminated the favored Dodgers – a team that won 111 games in 2022 – in last year’s Division Series.
The pitching matchups are impressive for the three-game set, with Joe Musgrove taking on future Hall-of-Famer Kershaw Friday. Yu Darvish and Dustin May follow Saturday and Blake Snell and Julio Urías Sunday.
The Padres took two of three from the Cincinnati Reds to begin the home stand, but the Dodgers, winners of six straight, have caught fire and now lead the NL West.
The Padres are in third place, a half game behind the Diamondbacks, but have won seven of their last 10, almost matching L.A, victors in eight of 10.
Another good sign – Juan Soto is getting his average up. He’s hitting .227 and had a bases-clearing double in his team’s 7-1 win Wednesday.
“Definitely, I’m feeling better the last couple of days,” he told 97.3 the Fan.
Tickets remain for each of the three games against the Dodgers.
