Astros manager Joe Espada said placing All-Star closer Josh Hader on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder strain Tuesday was a “punch in the gut,” though the club still doesn’t know the severity of the injury or how long he will be sidelined.

Can the pitching coaches take what he has left and mold it into a decent seventh inning guy? Only they know for sure. As a practical matter they only have to decide whether he is better than Colton Gordon and Shawn Dubin.