Young team bonded early in dugout, on field

ST. LOUIS – A lot has been made of the team chemistry that contributed to the Milwaukee Brewers’ surprising season, with much of the camaraderie generated by the team’s energetic and enthusiastic group of Hispanic players. The entire group of players bonded early and created a fun environment.

“It’s a unique bunch, for sure,” manager

Craig Counsell said Saturday before the Brewers were eliminated from the wild-card race with a 7-6 loss to St. Louis. “They’ve created something pretty cool, different than I’ve ever seen in a dugout. A different vibe than I’ve ever seen in a dugout.

“That’s not easy to do. There’s a lot of baseball seasons, and a lot of teams, and they’ve created something pretty unique.”

Most of the regulars figure to be back in 2018, but Counsell said that doesn’t guarantee the vibe will be exactly the same. It could still be quite good but in a different way, he said.

“You can put the same ingredients together and the soup is going to taste a little different next year,” he said. “You’ve got to be OK with that. It’s not going to be the same. There’s nothing wrong with that. You create something new, every time you do it.

“It’s going to be different but that’s OK. Every group is unique. We have some young players with leadership qualities. That’s what has been cool. That has helped us a lot. “I would point to (Jesús) Aguilar and (Hernán) Pérez (for leadership skills). We have an inexperienced team, so you have to allow those guys to have a voice. You have to foster the good qualities in these guys, and let them grow.”

After the tough loss, Counsell reiterated that message to his players in an emotional, heartfelt address.

“The big thing is I’m just proud of how they battled and took every single day, and became a team, and how much that meant for us that they were a team, and how much that lifted them up collectively,” Counsell said.

Yeoman duty: No contending team asked more of its bullpen down the stretch than the Brewers, who plugged one spot in the rotation with a succession of relievers after

Jimmy Nelson was injured and Matt Garza stopped getting outs.

Rather than cave under that heavy workload, the relievers excelled. Accordingly, the Brewers were tied for third with the Cubs entering Saturday with a 3.82 bullpen earned run average. Los Angeles ranked first at 3.40, followed by Arizona at 3.79.

“In the month of September, our bullpen has been the key to what we’ve been able to do, and how we’ve been able to stay in this thing,” Counsell said. Veteran right-hander

Anthony Swarzak was a huge addition to the Brewers’ bullpen when acquired in a July 26 trade with the Chicago White Sox, posting a 1.91 ERA over 28 outings with 39 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. Yet, he was on the mound in the eighth inning when St. Louis scored three runs to pull out the victory, which made perspective difficult immediately afterward.

“It’s hard at this moment,” Swarzak said. “They went and got me to help make a push, and it’s kind of ironic that I’m out there when it all kind of falls apart. I’m disappointed at the moment but I’m so proud of everybody in here.”

Swarzak can be a free agent after the season and won’t come cheap coming off a career year despite being 32. But he made it clear that he’d like to return and help the Brewers make another run at it next year.

“Hopefully, everybody in Brewers nation gets to see a better Anthony Swarzak next year,” he said. “I want to stay here and make another push, I really do. I love the group here. They’re young, talented, passionate. That’s all you can ask for.” No option for Garza:

The Brewers have three other players approaching free agency – infielders Neil Walker and Eric Sogard, and Garza. It was thought the Brewers still held a $5 million club option on Garza for 2018 but that went away when he reached 90 starts over his four-year deal earlier this season.

Garza’s four-year, $50 million free-agent deal signed before the 2014 season included a vesting option for $13 million in 2018 that would have kicked in if he started 110 games over the course of the contract, pitched 2015 innings this year and did not finish the season on the disabled list. He missed on the first two criteria.

In 96 games with the Brewers, including 93 starts, Garza is 26-39 with a 4.65 ERA.