Athletics reliever Blake Treinen will be shut down for the remainder of the season due to a back issue, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Treinen hadn’t pitched since Friday.
Treinen was baseball’s most dominant reliever in 2018, registering 38 saves with a 0.78 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings. He was not able to recapture that magic this season, as he’ll end 2019 with 19 saves, a 4.91 ERA, and 59 strikeouts across 58 2/3 innings of work.
The A’s defeated the Royals 1-0 in 11 innings on Wednesday afternoon, increasing their lead over the first AL Wild Card to 2.5 games over the Rays. The back of their bullpen down the stretch will feature Liam Hendriks, Yusmeiro Petit, and Ryan Buchter.
