After winning just one of their last 20 series of at least three games from April 24 through July 16, the Phillies have now won two in a row.
The offense stayed hot Sunday afternoon in a 6-3 win over the Brewers. It was the seventh straight game the Phillies scored at least five runs, their longest single-season streak since 2005. Yes, 2005.
Nick Williams hit another home run, Howie Kendrick came up clutch, Jerad Eickhoff spun a quality start and the bullpen that owns the majors' best ERA since June 26 made the lead stand up.
The Phillies are 34-62 as they welcome in the relentless bats of the Houston Astros.
Starting pitching report
Eickhoff had an efficient and mostly stress-free afternoon, allowing two runs on just three hits and facing the minimum in four of his six innings.
Eickhoff's only two walks came in the fifth inning and both Brewers came around to score on Jonathan Villar's bloop single over third base.
MLB
Eickhoff (2-7, 4.71) struck out six and finished his outing by getting Domingo Santana to ground into a double play.
Eickhoff has been very good in two of his three starts since returning from a back strain, striking out 22 in 17 innings.
Brewers right-hander Junior Guerra, their opening day starter, lasted just four innings and was lifted in the fifth with the bases loaded and no outs. All three runs came around to score.
Guerra walked three, struck out three and didn't have any 1-2-3 innings.
Bullpen report
Pat Neshek pitched yet another scoreless inning (with two strikeouts) to lower his ERA to 1.12. The Phillies' top trade candidate has allowed runs in only two of his 43 appearances this season.
Joaquin Benoit allowed a run in the eighth on Ryan Braun's opposite-field double.
Luis Garcia picked up his first save since 2015 with a perfect ninth inning. Hector Neris had pitched two days in a row, and Garcia has been lights-out of late so it was an easy decision for Pete Mackanin.
Garcia's last 15 appearances: 17⅓ scoreless innings, seven hits, 17 strikeouts.
At the plate
The Phillies' four-run rally in the fifth inning was started by an Eickhoff single. He entered Sunday with just one career multi-hit game before singling in each of his two at-bats.
Kendrick had the key hit in the fifth, a bases-loaded single up the middle to plate two runs.
Williams, who hit a two-run homer an inning earlier, drove in a third run with a groundball that Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia failed to glove.
Odubel Herrera capped it off with an RBI single over the shortstop's head.
Williams continues to do major damage to left and center field. His opposite-field home run off Guerra in the fourth inning made him 21 for 39 (.538) with four homers, four doubles and two triples when going up the middle or to the opposite field.
Beyond their record, the Phillies have looked like the worst team in baseball for much of this season, but not right now. With Cesar Hernandez and Kendrick back, Williams and Herrera raking and Maikel Franco seeing the ball well, this lineup is pretty deep at the moment.
Franco walked twice, flipping the bat excitedly after the second free pass. Over his last 35 games, Franco has as many walks (15) as strikeouts.
Up next
The Phillies' 10-game homestand continues with a series against the American League-best Houston Astros (65-32).
All three games are 7:05 p.m. start times.
Monday: Vince Velasquez (2-5, 5.14) vs. Brad Peacock (8-1, 2.49)
Tuesday: Nick Pivetta (3-5, 5.58) vs. Charlie Morton (7-4, 4.18)
Wednesday: Aaron Nola (7-6, 3.38) vs. Mike Fiers (7-4, 3.59)