Of the many factors that led to the Brewers' failure to make the playoffs in 2007 was an inability to win on the road. Even a minor improvement in their 32-49 record away from Miller Park would have snapped the franchise's quarter-century playoff drought.

Proving further that the team has turned a corner, the road has been anything but unkind to Milwaukee in 2008. While nobody gets a trophy for being four games over .500 on the road, the Brewers -- 35-31 in games not played at Miller Park this season -- have already surpassed their total road wins from last season, and their .538 winning percentage trails just St. Louis among National League teams and is third-best in all of baseball.

Sunday's loss at Los Angeles snapped a streak of five consecutive series victories on the road. Such victories have been rare during Ned Yost's six-plus seasons at the Brewers' helm. His teams -- not counting this season -- are 162-242 (.400) on the road, including a downright dreadful 27-54 performance in 2006.

Being able to win on the road could come in handy for the Brewers should they qualify for the playoffs. While they could still catch the Cubs for the Central Division crown, it is highly likely the Brewers will be the National League's Wild Card entry in the postseason, and would not have home-field advantage.

That would mean opening a short series on the road with CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets taking the mound in those games. Not a bad proposition if you think about it, especially considering even a split in those first two games would hand home-field advantage to the Brewers.

Rotation set: While it won't be anything different from what he's done all season, Yost did set his starting rotation for the rest of the year. He'll keep all five of his starters in their current order and continue givng them an extra day of rest if an off day falls on their regularly assigned day.

The other option would have been to keep Sabathia and Sheets on a regular, five-day schedule by skipping other starters' spots on off-days. While that would have given them both an extra start, Sheets would not pitch in either Cubs series and Sabathia and Sheets would miss the two-game series in St. Louis next month under the scenario.

Under the current plan, Sabathia would pitch against Cubs on the final weekend of the season, leaving Jeff Suppan to start a potential postseason opener should the Brewers qualify. But the Brewers are off on Sept. 22, which would allow Yost to skip Suppan, Manny Parra or Dave Bush and leave Sabathia available to pitch the playoff opener.

Who needs tickets? If you were thinking about picking up a couple of tickets now that the Brewers are in a legitimate playoff race, you may want to make your purchase soon. All six games on this upcoming homestand are close to sold out. Only single-seat, obstructed view and standing room tickets remain for most of the games.

The last 15 games have been sellouts and there is a good chance the streak will be at 21 next week when the team heads back out on the road. There is still a chance that Milwaukee will surpass the three million mark in attendance this year, a year after setting a franchise record with 2,869,144 buying tickets in 2007.

Back to work: Ryan Braun wasted no time getting back into the swing of things in his first appearance after missing six games with a strained back muscle. Pinch-hitting in the eighth inning against the Dodgers Saturday night, Braun doubled to right and scored on J.J. Hardy's home run. He returned to the starting lineup on Sunday, going 2-for-5 with a home run in Milwaukee's 7-5 loss.

Olympic update: Former Brewers prospect Matt LaPorta, like the rest of his teammates, is struggling at the Olympics. In four games with Team USA, LaPorta has just one hit in 14 at-bats (.071). The Americans are 2-2 and face China this morning. Brett Lawrie, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in June, isn't faring much better. He's hitless in five at-bats with the Canadian team.

Quick hits: The Brewers have won 22 games in their final at-bat, more than any other team this season. ... Before Sunday, the bullpen was 2-0 with four saves and a 1.86 ERA in the previous 13 games. ... Corey Hart needs two homers to become the first player in franchise history to post consecutive seasons with at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases. ... Milwaukee is 24-11 in one-run games this season. ... Ray Durham is batting .171 (7-for-41) with a home run and RBI since being acquired in a trade with San Francisco. ... The Brewers lead the majors with 36 come-from-behind victories.

Injury report: Russell Branyan is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique. He is eligible to return on August 27. ... Yovani Gallardo threw off a mound for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in May. The session was short and Gallardo did not pitch at full strength, instead just throwing soft tosses. General Manager Doug Melvin told MLB.com reporter Adam McCalvy that the right-hander is a "long shot" to return this season.

On the farm: Class AAA Nashville had its five-game road winning streak snapped with a 6-5 loss to Round Rock Sunday. The Sounds are 53-76 and in last place in the Pacific Coast League American North Division. ... At Class AA Huntsville, Alcides Escobar continued his assault on Southern League pitching and was named Hitter of the Week for August 4-10. Escobar is batting .341 with 72 RBIs and has 32 stolen bases.

This week: Time for some home cooking as the Astros come to town to open a three-game set at Miller Park. After a day off on Thursday, the Brewers welcome the Pirates for three games over the weekend before heading back out on the road to St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

N.L. Central standings: 1, Chicago, 76-48; 2, Milwaukee, 71-54 (-5½); 3, St. Louis, 70-57 (-7½); 4, Houston, 63-61 (-13); 5, Pittsburgh, 55-69 (-21); 6, Cincinnati, 55-70 (-21½).

N.L. Wild Card standings: 1, Milwaukee, 71-54; 2, St. Louis, 70-57 (-2); 3, Philadelphia, 66-58 (-4½); 4, Arizona, Los Angeles (tie), 64-60 (-6½); 5, Florida, 64-61 (-7).