"Big hugs" - Astros star Josh Hader's wife Maria shares touching moment of son Lucas snuggling with furry companion

Houston Astros closer Josh Hader is off to a slow start this season. He has an ERA of 6.39 in 13 games so far. However, his son, Lucas, seems to be enjoying with a furry friend.

Recently, Hader's wife Maria uploaded a glimpse of a moment between Lucas and their pet dog. In the image shared, Lucas can be seen hugging the pet, making for an adorable moment.

"Big Hugs," she wrote in an Instagram story.

Maria Hader's Instagram story

Josh Hader tied the knot with Maria on Nov. 30, 2021, and welcomed Lucas in June 2022.

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Josh Hader's first two-inning outing helps Astros get their win over Guardians'

Despite a challenging start to the season, Hader was in a groove on Tuesday night when he was up against the Guardians. Going into the ninth, the game was tied 8-8 when manager Joe Espada called out Hader.

After clearing up the ninth unscathed, Hader surprisingly returned for the 10th. In total, he threw 2.0 innings for no run of his own, a hit and a walk.

The Guardians scored in the 10th but on error. This was Hader's first two-inning outing since 2019 against the Houston Astros.

“That’s something that I don’t really like doing,” Espada said. “But when I went up to him he said, 'Yes, I want it.’ So shows how important getting a win was.”

The Astros were trailing 9-8 when they entered the 10th inning. The Astros won with a two-run homer by pinch-hitter Victor Caratini with two outs in the 10th inning.

Starters from both teams struggled big time. Hunter Brown of the Astros gave up six earned runs and two strikeouts. For the Guardians, Carlos Carrasco gave up eight earned runs on two walks and two hits.

With the win, Josh Hader's Astros improved to 10-19, trailing half a game behind fourth-placed Washington Nationals. The team that was expected to give healthy competition to the Rangers now seems to be the one which is struggling early on. They need to turn it around quickly before they fall out of contentment.