DOWNTOWN — As Major League Baseball begins tonight the accepted definition of the second-half of the season, Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman doesn’t see any of the NL Central contenders shaking loose any time soon. The division leaves the All-Star break with five of its six teams within five games or less of the lead. Hoffman’s Brewers trail the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals by 2 1/2 games, and the defending division-title champ Chicago Cubs are 3 1/2 games back.

Fast-forward to September, Hoffman said, and the standings are likely to remain the same. As he discusses in the video below, that puts a premium on teams igniting a hot streak and bracing for the opponents who will also make their runs.

Hoffman, the game’s all-time leader in saves, is in his first year with the Brewers, but in this All-Star interview video he discusses the makeup of the Milwaukee clubhouse, how weird it is that the National League cannot win the All-Star Game and, sure, some little Albert Pujols talk.

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In the National League clubhouse, the lockers were arranged so that Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard and Pujols all had adjacent lockers in the middle of the far wall. Fielder and Howard had their time to chat, to joke to grin as they passed baseballs and bats and seat cushions between each other for signatures. Fielder also got caught talking about the NL Central race, the derby and the power of playing first base in the NL …

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