Oakland's Blake Treinen and Milwaukee's Corey Knebel, a pair of pitchers who could play huge roles in the weeks to come, were honored Monday as the American and National League Relievers of the Month presented by The Hartford for September.
Treinen finished up a masterful season -- his first full campaign by the Bay -- in which he finished with a league-best 0.78 ERA and 38 saves. As the A's sought to sew up a Wild Card spot in the season's final month, Treinen converted four of his five save opportunities and did not allow a single earned run over 13 1/3 innings. The right-hander finishes a triumphant 2018 with the highest win probability added, the third-most saves and the 10th-highest bWAR among AL pitchers.

In Milwaukee, Knebel completed a long journey back from a serious left hamstring injury to have his best month of the season at precisely the right time. Knebel was stifling in September, holding opponents scoreless on a .102 batting average while pairing 32 strikeouts with just three walks over 15 1/3 innings. The Brewers reliever regained the effectiveness of his fastball, getting hitters to whiff on a league-best 38.2 percent of their swings last month. With Knebel back in form, the back end of the Brewers' bullpen appears even more formidable as the club enters its first postseason since 2011.

"He was brilliant in September, there's no question," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell on Monday morning. "I do think you can include him [with Brewers All-Star relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Josh Hader] -- he's just as valuable right now, the way he's throwing the baseball. He had a dominant month of September."