Astros send reliever Ken Giles down to Triple-A Fresno

HOUSTON – A day after another blowup on the mound, the Astros have sent struggling closer Ken Giles to Triple-A Fresno.

It's a demotion that a lot of fans would say is a longtime coming for the hot-headed reliever.

Giles has pitched to a 4.99 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He has recorded 12 saves and 31 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched.

WATCH: AJ Hinch on Ken Giles' demotion

Giles has made headlines this season for punching himself in his own face after a bad outing and, more recently, for appearing to have cussed at manager A.J. Hinch during Tuesday's game.

In Tuesday's game, Hinch brought in Giles with a four-run lead in the ninth inning. After allowing three straight singles, which resulted in one run, Hinch pulled Giles and put in Hector Rondon. When Giles was leaving the mound, he was seen on camera mouthing what could have been an expletive toward Hinch. Rondon allowed the A's to tie the game and force extra innings, but Houston eventually won on a wild play in the 11th inning.