Giles pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out one to earn his 28th save in the Astros' 4-1 win over the Mets in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader.
Giles hasn't allowed a run over his last eight games and sports a 0.89 ERA since the All-Star break. With just three blown saves this season -- one since early June -- Giles has a firm grasp of the closer's job. The only problem has been getting to him. The bullpen leading up to Giles has been less effective over the second half, a situation exacerbated by injuries to the starting rotation, which led to shorter outings by the starting staff. This has led to fewer save opportunities for Giles. However, the staff is in better shape entering September. Dallas Keuchel is healthy and Houston welcomes Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers (back) to the rotation this week. Those improvements and the return of reliever Will Harris sets the stage for Giles to garner more save opportunities.