Brewers back to postseason

CINCINNATI — The Brewers clinched their second straight postseason appearance Wednesday night, with Ryan Braun’s grand slam sparking a 9-2 victory over the Reds that also tightened the NL Central race.

The Brewers have won six in a row and 17 of 19 despite losing MVP Christian Yelich to a broken kneecap, vaulting from also-ran to at least a wild card. There’s more at their fingertips — the divisionleading Cardinals lost again, slicing their lead over the Brewers to 1 games.

The Brewers jogged onto the field and formed a scrum by second base after when Junior Guerra got Christian Colon on a grounder for the final out.

A sizzlin’ September topped off by a bubbly celebration. Nobody does it better than these Brewers.

Last season, they raced from a five-game deficit to the NL Central title by going 19-6 after Sept. 1.

They’ve pulled off another improbable run with manager Craig Counsell’s outside-the-box resourcefulness, the bullpen’s imperviousness and the offense’s ability to find a new star each game with everything on the line.

Braun — the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year and 2011 NLMost Valuable Player — has found his touch during this current winning streak.

Braun had a solo shot in a 4-2 win in the series opener, and got the celebration started early Wednesday with his eighth career grand slam in the first inning. Teammates were on their feet, leaning against the dugout railing in anticipation of a big night.