Brewers dissect close finish

Falling just short of playoffs creates extra motivation.

How do you play 162 games, missashotatthepostseason by one victory, and not playthe “woulda, coulda, shoulda” game in your mind for weeks to come?

That was the scenario in 2017 for the Milwaukee Brewers, who weren’t expected to contend but stayed in the hunt for a playoff berth until Game No. 161. It is agonizing to come that close and fail, but manager Craig Counsell said he could use that narrow miss as a carrot to dangle in front of the club next spring.

“I will use it asmotivation,” Counsell said. “You have to always examine what you have done to see if you can do it better. That’s a responsibility I will challenge everybody with.”

The Brewers began the season with a vastly inexperienced roster — 17 players near or at minimum salary — and therefore considered unready to contend for the postseason. But with the defending World Series champion Cubs and others in the NL Central unable to make a serious move over the first half of the season, the Brewers jumped into the void. At the All-star break, they had a 50-41 record and 5½-gameleadinthe division.

Whether the players started feeling the pressure or they merely were due a market correction, the Brewers stumbled out of the break, going 9-18 over the first 27 games. In the meantime, the Cubswoke up and decided to startplaying baseball, bolting into first place as expected all along.

Fromthat point, the Brewers became chasers in the NL Central and wild-card races. When you’re in chase mode, there is less margin for error, and each lossdown the stretch hurt badly. They held together a depleted rotation with spit and baling wire, relied heavily on the bullpen and tried to eke out enough runs froman offense that was too reliant onhome runs.

The whole was greater than the sum of its parts, and the Brewers fought to the end before ceding the second wild-card berth to the Rockies. It was a painfulway for the chase to end, but suffice it to say an 86-win season far exceeded expectations fromthe outsideworld. “I think our guys did a nice job of understanding the importance of every single day and responding to every single day,” Counsell said.