Majors-best Brewers roll to playoff-clinching blowout and close in on NL Central title

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are heading to the playoffs, and baseball’s best team left no doubt.

Garrett Mitchell hit the Brewers’ first grand slam of the season, one of four homers for Milwaukee in a 20-0 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night that secured a playoff berth that had long been inevitable.

Manager Pat Murphy celebrated with a toast to his players and clubhouse staff. Afterward, the locker room was subdued, because these Brewers (92-56) hope to accomplish much more.

This will be Milwaukee's fourth straight trip to the playoffs and eighth in nine seasons.

“It’s not something to take lightly because it’s really hard to do,” Murphy said. “We want to see how far we can go and how complete this can be. Remember that the message to the team is that we checked off one box, but we’ve got a lot more to go.”

Perhaps the biggest hurdle will be knocking off the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, should the teams meet again. The Dodgers swept the Brewers in the NL championship series last year.

Entering Friday, the Brewers were last in the majors in home runs, but they rank near the top in batting and on-base percentage, and they hope an elite starting rotation led by Jacob Misiorowski can carry them deep into October.

Next up for the Brewers will be wrapping up the NL Central title. They lead the Chicago Cubs by 10 games, and their magic number is four.

Still, Friday's achievement was worth a moment of reflection.

“You have to celebrate the moment, no matter how big or small,” Mitchell said. “With how long a season is, you have to be able to celebrate the moments when you have them. You never know when you’re going to get them, and you never know when the last one’s going to be. So, a small toast.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here