Astros demote struggling closer Ken Giles

Ken Giles has gone from Houston Astros closer to minor leaguer.

The Astros optioned Giles to AAA Fresno on Wednesday, a day after being charged three earned runs and not recording an out against the Oakland Athletics.

Whoa! The #Astros option struggling closer Ken Giles to Triple A Fresno and recall lefty Cionel Pérez from Class AA Corpus Christi.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 11, 2018

Giles posted a 2.30 ERA last season and seemed like one of the best closers in the game. He collapsed during the postseason, though, and that has carried over into 2018, with his bad outing Wednesday raising his ERA to 4.99.

One has to wonder if this outburst had anything to do with Giles’s demotion. The Astros are doing so well in so many departments, and they don’t need to put up with this sort of thing from a reliever who isn’t performing, even if it’s a high-profile one.