Phillies visit Milwaukee for series with the Brewers
Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto each homered to pace the Phillies to a 9-7 win over the Cubs on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The victory gave the Phils a split of the four-game series.

The Phils chased Jon Lester early, scoring seven runs on seven hits over four innings against the veteran Cubs hurler.

Realmuto's blast, a solo shot in the third, landed on Waveland Avenue and traveled an estimated 456 feet. It was the longest homer of his career, according to data from Statcast.

Jean Segura collected two hits in the winning effort, extending his hitting streak to 14 games while improving his average to .325 on the season. Scott Kingery and Andrew McCutchen also collected two hits a piece in the winning effort.

Accomplishing a split in a four-game series against a quality opponent like the Cubs on the road can be a defining moment for a club. It's the type of tough atmosphere a club will have to win in to survive a deep postseason run, something the Phillies are aiming for come mid-September.

“You always want it to be easy, but that would be a pie-in-the-sky fantasy," manager Gabe Kapler told reporters afterward. "It doesn’t work like that. Players are too good. You have to be prepared for things to go sideways.”

The club now heads to Milwaukee where things won't be much easier against a quality Brewers team that had their way with the Phils last week at Citizens Bank Park.

Jerad Eickhoff will start the opener, squaring off against righty Chase Anderson.

Roster Move
The Phillies reinstated Vince Velasquez from the injured list and optioned Drew Anderson back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Velasquez will be available in relief beginning Friday, although it's possible he could rejoin the rotation Tuesday. He was sidelined with a right forearm strain.

Pitching Probables
Friday: Jerad Eickhoff (2-2, 3.23) vs. Chase Anderson (2-0, 2.66)
Saturday: Jake Arrieta (4-4, 3.77) vs. Jhoulys Chacin (3-5, 4.65)
Sunday: Zach Eflin (5-4, 2.76) vs. Brandon Wooduff (6-1, 3.51)
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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