MILWAUKEE — It’s a reward but also something to deal with. The Brewers are trying to use their time off wisely this week.

They started their workouts at American Family Field on Tuesday. With a franchise-record 97 wins, the Brewers earned the top seed, home-field advantage and a first-round bye. That means five days off and not playing a game until Saturday. Staying sharp this week is the challenge.

What You Need To Know

The Brewers are in the postseason for the seventh time in the last eight years

With a franchise-record 97 wins, the Brewers earned the top seed, home-field advantage and a first-round bye

That means five days off and not playing a game until Saturday

The Brewers will play the winner of the Cubs-Padres Wild Card series in the best-of-five division series

“You don’t want to lose that edge,” said Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby. “You want to keep it as intense as you can, with also having the recovery mindset of getting our bodies right and feeling good going into this.”

“There needs to be some intensity behind our prep work,” said Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins. “There is a reason why we are the number one seed. We have done that all year. We have worked our butts off, and it started in spring training.”

Brewers manager Pat Murphy has consulted with former Major League managers like Joe Torre, Joe Maddon and Dusty Baker about how to handle the days off.

“The way we’ll use it, as we limped to the finish line in my opinion because of our health,” said Murphy. “There are little things. After that, re-coop is over, whether it’s 24 or 48 hours, whatever it is, now we have to ramp it up again.”

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) celebrates with teammates after clinching the Central Division Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

The Brewers hope to put together a deep playoff run. Having the home-field advantage is a big part of that equation.

“You want to play every game at home if you could,” said Brewers second baseman Bruce Turang. “Playing at home, the fans are great. They’re loud, and it gives you some energy, for sure.”

“Huge, huge,” said Collins. “Especially in the first two games in each series. To play at home and get on the right track and get ahead early — that is really important. Leading the league in wins and getting that number one seed is huge. We deserve this bye and the home-field advantage.”

“Playing at home is awesome,” added Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick. “Playing in front of these fans, who have showed out for the entire year. They’ve been great, during the week, during floods, it’s been awesome.”

The Brewers will play the winner of the Cubs-Padres Wild Card series in the best-of-five division series starting Saturday at American Family Field.

Brewers pitcher Quinn Priester grew up in the Chicago area, and his mom, who worked for a team sponsor, took him to a lot of Cubs games. That being said, he saID he really doesn’t care who the Brewers face in the division series.

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Quinn Priester throws to the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

“Whoever emerges, we take on,” said Priester. “I am certainly going to watch, just in terms of my preparation for facing a lineup. That’s something I have always done. Just watching the last game of the team we face. I am going to watch as a fan of the game, but also getting prepared for whatever lineup emerges. It should be a really fun challenge, regardless.”

There’s no denying that the playoffs are different from the regular season.

“I think the difference is the ramifications of not winning,” said Murphy. “The urgency of understanding that you can’t take pitches off. That’s what it is about.”

“A lot of it is just the momentum swing,” said Ashby. “Feeling the difference in, if you throw a ball or a strike. It’s a huge difference between that feeling in the postseason compared to the regular season.”

“I was here last year for the playoff games,” said Collins. “Didn’t get into the games, but I was here. I definitely have an idea of what to expect. I thought it was awesome. It reminded me of an NFL game. Just the intensity of it, everybody’s locked in. It’s kind of what you dream of as a kid, to play in the playoffs.”

“We don’t listen to too much outside noise,” said Frelick. “We know Murph pays attention at times of what the public thought of us before the season started, but it really doesn’t change anything in here. It’s kind of how it’s been. We know the team we have, and we are super confident in that team.”

The Brewers are in the postseason for the seventh time in the last eight years.