Former Astros closer Ken Giles criticizes culture in Houston, draws response from A.J. Hinch

Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles is sticking to his criticism of his former team, the Houston Astros, a position that has drawn a rebuttal from Astros manager A.J. Hinch.

Giles on Monday expressed frustration with a lack of communication with the Astros staff during his two and a half seasons in Houston.

"I'm getting thrown out there like I didn't know what was going on," Giles said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "It keeps me out of the loop a little bit. I wasn't told some information that I probably needed to know, instead just going into the dark out there without knowing what I needed to prepare for. ... It's a shame. I enjoyed my teammates there, we did a lot of great memories there, and I was very blessed to be with those guys and got to learn from those guys."

Giles' comments followed an article in the Toronto Star published Sunday in which the closer said he "felt trapped" in Houston prior to the trade-deadline deal that sent him to Toronto.

"I'm actually enjoying the game more than I did for my entire tenure in Houston," Giles told the Star. "It's kind of weird to say that because I won a World Series with that team. But it's like, I just felt trapped there. I didn't feel like myself there. Overall, I felt out of place."

Giles also praised his new team, saying "they had their arms open to me." The closer is 12-for-12 in save opportunities with the Blue Jays since joining the team.

Hinch said Giles' viewpoint about the Astros was "wrong."

"Every single player will tell you it's one of the best cultures they've had, one of the best communication environments they've had," the manager said. "They all know their roles. They all know their situations. To have one person, out of all the guys in our clubhouse, come out and claim otherwise is flat wrong."

The Astros and Blue Jays met for the first time since the July trade on Monday, with Houston winning 5-3in the first of a three-game series. Giles did not pitch in the loss.