Clubhouse games fueling Brewers' playoff push

MILWAUKEE -- Here are the most important numbers to know about the homestand that concluded with a 7-6 Brewers win over the Reds at American Family Field on Sunday, arguably more important than Brandon Woodruff’s 11 strikeouts, Rowdy Tellez’s two home runs or the 90 feet covered by Garrett Mitchell in center field to make a game-saving catch in the ninth inning:

Four wins. One loss. One broken television.

The Brewers are hoping that having a little more fun will help to spark the sort of winning streak which has eluded them for the bulk of this season, and which they will need if they are to sneak back to the postseason for a fifth consecutive year. That’s why the clubhouses, both home and away, have looked like an arcade, with a ping-pong table here, a chipping game there and a Pop-A-Shot stocked with mini basketballs -- one of which shattered a flat-screen TV at the far end of the clubhouse on an errant shot.

Whatever it takes to find another late-season push.

“It’s to loosen up a little bit, man,” Woodruff said after picking up the victory on Sunday. “Playing ping-pong with your teammates or shooting some hoops, it’s a little friendly competition to keep things light and keep your mind off the game. Instead of sitting around in our chairs and on our phones, we’re having some fun and enjoying each other’s company. I think that’s a big part of it.”

Sunday’s finale was fun for the Brewers for most of the day after Christian Yelich, Willy Adames and Tellez combined to go 6-for-6 with a double, two home runs and six RBIs in the first two innings against Reds starter Justin Dunn. Tellez added a solo homer for a 7-2 lead in the fourth, giving him 30 home runs this season. His previous career high was 21.

“It’s a big moment in my career to get to 30,” Tellez said. “I always thought that I could do it, but to do it in a place that’s meaningful to me here in Milwaukee, to do it at home in front of a lot of people, it’s a cool feeling. It’s a really good feeling to get to 30 with an organization that believed in me.”

By virtue of the real estate the players occupy in the clubhouse, Mitchell and Tellez each find themselves in the line of fire when the new ping-pong table is occupied. But Tellez is more interested in Pop-A-Shot, likening his skills to a “power forward/point guard combo.”

“I’ve got it all going on,” he said.

He was kidding.

“I’m not good,” Tellez said.

Still, he’s playing along with the Brewers’ focus on putting their phones down and having some fun. Brent Suter, the team’s union representative and longest tenured player, has been behind some of it with director of team travel Dan Larrea and members of the clubhouse staff. Outfielder Tyrone Taylor summed up the aim like this: “I think it’s good to get your mind off of baseball sometimes.”

“I do think that us being a little bit more laid back and having some things going on is going to loosen us up,” Tellez added. “It was a tough stretch for us in the second half. But we’re still in the hunt, we’re still in the push.”

The Brewers have 21 games remaining to surpass either the Phillies or Padres for an NL Wild Card berth.

“We’re just trying to find different ways, being creative, to connect,” said Corbin Burnes, who makes his next start Wednesday in St. Louis. “For the most part, we’ve been able to do that this year, but since the Trade Deadline there’s a lot of new faces. Some guys left, a lot of new guys came in, and it’s trying to find that cohesive unit to pull together.”

Said Suter: “I don’t know what our record is since some of this stuff has been put in, but it feels like we’re playing better. We’re definitely more connected. We’re staying off the phones more. We’re bonding a little bit better. The good-natured trash-talking is everywhere. The fantasy football draft was a blast, even for dudes like me who don’t have a team. That’s what it’s all about, bonding as teammates.”