"Bring on the Haderade" - Josh Hader's wife Maria cheers on relief pitcher husband from stands during Astros vs. Rockies

This season has been rough for Josh Hader compared to past campaigns. Despite signing a five-year, $95 million contract with the Astros, Hader is in danger of putting up his worst season since the debacle of 2022.

In need of some extra motivation, Hader's wife, Maria, came to an Astros home game to show her support. In a story uploaded to her personal Instagram account, Maria cheered her husband to "bring on the Haderade" as he entered the game on Tuesday night.

Maria Hader cheers on her husband Josh in Houston

Maria Hader's shoutout came as Josh entered Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. After striking out the side, Hader maintained his team's 5-2 lead and logged his eleventh win.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Maria Hader began working as a broadcast intern after she finished college. Before that, she worked as a promotions assistant at Corpus Christi Hooks and a broadcasting intern at KRIS Communications. Maria and Josh Hader welcomed their first child, Lucas, in the summer of 2022.

Now 3-4 with a 3.79 ERA, pitching for the Houston Astros has not been as breezy as many expected for Josh Hader. Last season, the Maryland-born southpaw put up a record of 2-3 with a 1.28 ERA. His struggles mirror the Astros bullpen, which ranks 13th out of 30 teams in bullpen ERA.

"Man the Astros are having a fantastic game. Josh Hader: hold my beer that isn't a bud light" - Neil C

Josh Hader gathered great numbers in May, with a 1.46 ERA and 19 strikeouts in ten appearances. However, he returned to familiar struggles in June, where his ERA climbed to 3.72.

Josh Hader is looking more like his old self

After allowing nine runs in nine innings, Hader is assuming his old look. Now with an ERA around 2.00 dating back to May 1, the star closer seems to be improving. After a recent performance against the Chicago White Sox, Hader told Julia Morales of the Space City Home Network:

"We just have to keep on getting on a roll, and take it one game at a time and tie everything together."

With a record of 39-40, the Astros are slowly shaking off their early-season struggles. Hader will remain a big part of this team's run for the rest of the season.