Notes: Back in comfortable surroundings with Brewers, Jeremy Jeffress regains his form

CINCINNATI - When the Milwaukee Brewers reacquired reliever Jeremy Jeffress from the Texas Rangers on July 31, the thinking was that he would prosper from a return to comfortable surroundings.

And that is exactly what has happened.

Jeffress made his fifth consecutive scoreless appearance Monday against Cincinnati, lowering his earned-run average to 2.77 in 12 appearances, with a .174 opponents batting average, since rejoining the Brewers. Compare that to his 5.31 ERA and .304 OBA in 39 outings with the Rangers before the trade.

“I’m just more comfortable here; I always have been,” said Jeffress, who was traded on Aug. 1 of last season to the Rangers with catcher Jonathan Lucroy for three minor-league prospects, including Lewis Brinson.

“D.J. (pitching coach Derek Johnson) and (bullpen coach) Lee (Tunnell) know me and what I do best. When I came back here, it was like I never left. I’m not surprised (that things have gone well).”

Jeffress’ velocity has been up a bit since returning to the Brewers and he also has benefited from using his split-finger fastball more. But you can’t measure a player’s comfort level with statistics, and Jeffress just feels more at home in a Milwaukee uniform, even though he is not in the closer’s role as in 2016.

“He has taken a step forward already (since returning),” manager Craig Counsell said. “For me, that inning in L.A. (a scoreless frame with two strikeouts on Aug. 25) was a big sign that there was some good stuff.

“We’ve got him into a rhythm, and got him in a place we want. He’s doing a nice job.”

Berry promoted: The Brewers called up journeyman outfielder Quintin Berry from Class AAA Colorado Springs to provide another option off the bench. Berry, 32, was released by Minnesota in May and signed with the Brewers in mid-August.

Berry has played in the majors with Detroit, Boston, Baltimore and the Chicago Cubs. In 125 games, he has batted .265 with a .336 on-base percentage and 27 stolen bases in 28 attempts. He last played in the majors for the Cubs (eight games) in 2015.

In 10 games with the Sky Sox, who begin play Wednesday in the Pacific Coast League playoffs, Berry batted .286 with a .375 OBP and .827 OPS, with two home runs and three RBI.

“With the Triple-A regular season ending, this provided a good time to get Quintin to the major leagues,” general manager David Stearns said. “We signed Quintin because he has experience in this role as a pinch-runner and solid defensive outfielder. It adds another element to our bench.”

After being released by the Twins, Berry was inactive for two months before signing with the independent Long Island Ducks. He credited his wife with helping him stay ready for his next opportunity while home in San Diego.

“My wife was helping me, five days a week in the (batting) cage, just putting balls in the (pitching) machine,” he said. “She helped me stay ready. Then I signed with Long Island. It was a lot better than I thought it would be.

“I was really afraid. You hear a lot of stories about guys going to play indy ball, and your career’s probably going to be over. A lot of guys can’t handle it. It actually was pretty good. Long Island treats their players really well. They’ve got a good team.”

As for what he brings to the Brewers, Berry said, “I know what my role here is. They’re playing great baseball right now. My job is to be ready to come off the bench and do whatever I can to help the team.”

Counsell made no qualms about how he'll primarily use Berry.

"I don't think there' s any secret why Quintin is here," Counsell said. "He's here to be a base-runner. It's a limited role but you hope he impacts a couple of games."

Garza nominated: Right-hander Matt Garza was named the Brewers’ nominee for the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award, the game’s most prominent philanthropic individual award.

Garza has been a strong supporter to end domestic violence, raising over $75,000 for nonprofit organizations including Sojourner Family Peace Center, Meta House and The Joy House. He also supports several military initiatives, including events hosted by USO Milwaukee and visits to Veterans Affairs hospitals.

Garza also has supported the Brewers Community Foundation and is active with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Major League Baseball's Roberto Clemente Award winner will be chosen by a panel and announced during the World Series.