The Brewers have long been out of the Central Division race but their fate was sealed Sunday, when a 9-2 loss at San Francisco officially eliminated the team from post-season contention.

The focus now is finishing the season strong and putting up a tough fight against teams still in the race, beginning tonight when Cincinnati, which leads the Central and is closing in on clinching the division crown, opens a three-game series at Miller Park.

Being out of the race for so much of the season was a new phenomena for many of the team's established players, most of whom played on winning teams throughout their high school, collegiate, minor and major league careers.

"For most of us, I don't think we've ever been on a bad team," outfielder Ryan Braun told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "It's a different experience. Definitely not fun."

The Brewers held the Central Division lead for most of Braun's rookie campaign, but missed the playoffs after a late-season collapse. In 2008, the team survived another September meltdown to clinch a playoff spot on the final day of the season and last year, the Brewers struggled in the second half were in first place as late as July 1.

This year, though, was a different story. The team stumbled out of the gate and struggled to get consistent pitching all season long. Braun, along with Prince Fielder, put up numbers that paled in comparison to previous years.

All those factors led to a team currently 10 games under .500.

"I don't think there's been any point at all in the second half where we've been excited about where we're at in the standings or we've really felt we had a realistic chance of winning our division," Braun said.

Turning things around: For most of the season, Randy Wolf looked like another free agent pitcher signing gone bad for the Brewers.

After his first 20 starts, Wolf was 7-8 with a 5.08 earned run average. He'd allowed 21 home runs -- three short of his 2009 total and struggled to put together any kind of consistent success.

Things got worse in start No. 21, when he was pummeled for 12 runs on 13 hits in a 5 2/3-inning effort on July 21.

Wolf actually volunteered to keep pitching in that game to help offer relief to a beleaguered bullpen, but ever since that nightmare, he's looked much more like the pitcher who attracted a three-year, $29.75 million contract offer.

In his last 10 starts, Wolf is 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 46 strikeouts. On Friday night, he threw his first complete game shutout since Sept. 3, 2008 when he held the Giants to just three hits.

For the season, Wolf is 12-11 with a 4.32 ERA. Take out the Pittsburgh game, and his ERA drops to an impressive 3.88.

"I've had a few blow-up games but my stuff is the same," Wolf told reporters in San Francisco. "That's what's frustrating. I couldn't put my finger on it. Getting together with (pitching coach Rick Peterson) and picking up my tempo has made a big difference."

Rogers gets Friday start: Right-hander Mark Rogers will make his first major league start Friday, against the Marlins at Miller Park.

The rookie has made two appearances since being called up Sept. 10, pitching an inning each against the Cubs and Astros. He hasn't allowed a hit and has one strikeout.

Macha is starting Rogers for several reasons. First, the team wants to see how the 2004 first-round draft pick has progressed and second, Macha would like to give his starters an extra day of rest during a season-ending run of 17 games in 17 days.

Should all go well Friday, Rogers could make a second start before the end of the season.

Davis is done: Left-hander Doug Davis will not pitch for the Brewers again this season. Davis met with general manager Doug Melvin last week and learned that the team did not plan to activate him before the season's end.

Davis, who has been sidelined since July with an elbow injury, had hoped to work out of the bullpen in order to show prospective suitors that he will be ready to pitch last season.

With an influx of minor league arms with the team, Melvin told Davis that there wouldn't be opportunity for him to get any further work.

Davis signed a one-year contract last winter with a mutual option for 2011. The team will likely decline it's portion of the option, choosing instead to pay Davis a $1 million buyout.

Quick hits: Rickie Weeks is three runs away from scoring 100 this season. He'd be the team's first leadoff hitter to do so since Fernando Vina in 1998 (101) ... Ryan Braun has the highest batting average in baseball (.388, 64-for-165) since August 1 ... Casey McGehee needs three RBI to surpass Ryan Braun for the franchise record by a third baseman ... The Brewers have successfully stolen 19 consecutive bases ... Zach Braddock has a 1.86 ERA in his last 16 appearances ... Craig Counsell is batting .306 (11-for-36) as a pinch hitter ... Jonathan Lucroy has thrown out seven of his last 12 runners attempting to steal.

On the farm: Rookie League Helena won Pioneer League Championship last week, defeating Ogden, 14-2, in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. The Brewers' Arizona League affiliate also won its championship this season.

This week: The Brewers kick off their final homestand of the season tonight with the first of three games against the Reds, who are looking to wrap up the Central Division title. The Marlins come to town Thursday for four games, with the home finale coming Sunday afternoon.

N.L. Central standings (through games Sunday): 1, Cincinnati, 84-66; 2, St. Louis, 77-71 (-6); 3, Houston, 72-77 (-11½); 4, Milwaukee, 69-79 (-14); 5, Chicago, 68-81 (-15½); 6. Pittsburgh, 51-98 (-32½).