Houston Astros: Ken Giles’s meltdowns end with his downfall

Astros reliever Ken Giles was the next big thing for Houston three years ago. Now he’s been demoted after suffering another late-inning collapse.

Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch gave Ken Giles a second chance – and a third and a fourth one too. But the reliever couldn’t find consistency.

Now, just three years after being coveted as the next top-tier closer, Giles is in Triple-A. And the next time fans see him in Houston is unpredictable.

The right-handed flamethrower didn’t pitch horribly on a consistent basis. He was dominant during most appearances.

But when opposing hitters flustered him, the Astros pitcher folded – big time. He allowed multiple runs without securing a single out twice this year.

Yet, if statisticians ignore the four times Giles allowed multiple runs, he would have a superb resumé. The hard-thrower would have a 1.59 ERA across 28 1/3 innings with an insane 28 strikeouts compared to three walks.

Nevertheless, a few bad outings have a significant impact on glamour numbers. Fans and analysts associate a ballooned ERA with someone on the border between the MLB and the minors.

Thus, Giles has temporarily entered that discussion.

The 28-year-old boasts similar splits throughout his career when looking at pitch effectiveness. Each of Giles’s seasons represents the epitome of a one-pitch hurler. When he doesn’t throw that pitch, nightmares ensue.

His slider might be one of the best pitches in baseball, as hitters own a .125/.156/.200 slash against it during Giles’ career, per FanGraphs. Nearly 75 percent of his career strikeouts came via his hard slider.

However, opposing batters feast on his fastball. They own a better average against the heater this season than any other season against Giles – with nine extra-base hits.

Surely, that is not a promising sign for any closer throughout the league. And it was an obstacle Giles never overcame for the Astros.

What now for Houston?

Hinch didn’t express worry or concern when Giles floundered in close games earlier this year. Instead, it utilized his versatile, deep bullpen.

Hector Rondon, Chris Devenski, and Brad Peacock all have saves under their belts. Moreover, Will Harris isn’t foreign to the closing role either. And Collin McHugh is an option too.

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Nevertheless, while the Astros aren’t worried about shutting the door down in the ninth, they can use reinforcements. And there are plenty of names on the market worth inquiring.

Houston may seek help from elite closers like Zach Britton or Brad Hand. But lesser-known relievers are targets too, such as Raisel Iglesias, Amir Garrett and Blake Treinen.

Yet, the Astros also have options available in the minors, primarily top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley. Houston already promoted top position prospect Kyle Tucker last week. It’s clear the Astros will do what it takes to return to the Fall Classic.

However, Whitley isn’t likely the closing heir. Neither is Rondon, though he can clearly keep opposing bats at bay.

Hinch doesn’t rely solely on one player to carry the Astros into the postseason. He uses all of his resources, which ultimately helped the club claim the crown in 2017.

Of course, Houston won’t employ starting pitchers to close out regular season games. But because of this tactic, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Astros obtained a quality setup man or consistent reliever rather than a full-time, premier closer.

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And if that is the route Houston takes, it shouldn’t affect the Astros success in later innings. The contender still boasts the second-best ERA in the league among relievers.