MILWAUKEE _ The first seven innings of Saturday's 7-2 win at Miller Park seemed to come so easy for Jake Arrieta.
His sinker was sharp, his pitch count was low, he was racking up strikeouts, and forcing the Brewers to hit ground balls whenever he pleased. Yes, Arrieta allowed a homer with two outs in the seventh. But, he had had retired the previous 16 batters and the Phillies still had a three-run lead.
And then the grind started. Arrieta completed eight innings on Saturday, but his final inning seemed to be more taxing than the previous seven combined. A leadoff single by Eric Thames led to one-out double by Jesus Aguilar. Gabe Kapler watched from the dugout. This inning belonged to Arrieta. The next batter grounded out, but Thames scored to cut the Phillies' lead to two.
The dangerous Lorenzo Cain came to the plate as the tying run with reigning MVP Christian Yelich waiting on deck. Arrieta fell behind with a 3-1 count and then it no longer seemed easy. But the inning was still his. Cain watched the next pitch _ another sinker _ dot low and began walking to first base before he was called back by home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook. It was strike two and the next pitch was strike three. The inning was over. It wasn't as pretty as the first seven, but it was just as impressive.
The Phillies began a challenging series against the Brewers with two convincing wins. They have won seven of their last nine games and have either won or tied eight of their last nine series. Arrieta was excellent. He struck out eight batters, walked just one, and allowed two runs on five hits. He allowed just one runner to reach second base in the first six innings.
Andrew McCutchen hit the second pitch of the game 431 feet for a leadoff homer. Jean Segura worked a bases-loaded walk in the second to bring in Scott Kingery. Cesar Hernandez lined a homer in the third and drove in a run in the fifth. That was more than enough for Arrieta, but the Phillies tacked on three more runs in the ninth from homers by Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto.
A night earlier, the Phillies used five relievers after Jerad Eickhoff's start lasted just three innings. The unit had pitched 471/3 innings in their last 12 games. The first five games of a seven-game road trip were taxing. They needed just one reliever on Saturday as Jose Alvarez handled the ninth. The Phillies needed a day like Saturday.
