Padres beat Halladay, Phillies again

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- There's just something about facing Roy Halladay this season that makes the San Diego Padres play above their spot in the standings.

For the second time this season, the last-place Padres managed to score enough runs off Philadelphia's typically reliable right-hander, beating the Phillies 2-1 on Saturday night.

"Whenever you come in here you know you're getting good pitchers against you, there's no doubt about it. He's one of the best I've seen over the last 10 years," San Diego manager Bud Black said of Halladay.

"When you eke out a win against him in their park, it says something about how we played and how we pitched. You know, (Edinson) Volquez matched him inning for inning and then we got a couple of big hits in the seventh. Goozie (Jesus Guzman) got it deep enough for the sac fly and that was enough. Bullpen again -- (Luke) Gregerson, (Andrew) Cashner, (Dale) Thayer -- did a nice job."

Volquez (2-2) said he was battling a cold and hardly got a good night's sleep but still was able to match Halladay. He pitched six effective innings and came away the winner on pinch-hitter Guzman's sac fly in the seventh that drove in the go-ahead run.

"I'm a little bit sick. I had to take a lot of pills to pitch in the game," said Volquez, who added that he took 17 pills throughout the day to fight his illness. "When I woke up today I thought I wasn't going to pitch. . I did a good job, six innings, just one run. A tremendous game. (Halladay) also pitched an excellent game."

Volquez escaped a few jams early in the game and then again in the fifth inning. The righty won his second straight start. He allowed one run and six hits, walked two and struck out five.

Halladay (3-3) is winless in his last five starts, the longest stretch in his Phillies career. His last win was at San Francisco on April 16.

"You just keep going out there. My job is to keep the game close and give us a chance," Halladay said. "You can't get caught up with personal losses."

The righty allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out a season-high 10. It was his 15th career double-digit strikeout game.

Cameron Maybin led off the top of the seventh with a double to right field and John Baker, who earlier in the night had snapped out of a 0-for-19 skid, singled to center.

Jason Bartlett, who also broke out of a 0-for-17 slump, struck out. Volquez was then lifted for Guzman. Halladay got Guzman to pop up in foul territory down the right-field line, but Maybin barely beat out Hunter Pence's strong throw to the plate, sliding past catcher Carlos Ruiz's tag.

The speedy Maybin said that against a pitcher of Halladay's caliber, you had to take the chance with Pence's ability to throw out runners.

"The ball wasn't too deep but against Halladay you got to make stuff happen. I was lucky enough to barely make it in there," Maybin said. "Luckily the good Lord blessed me with long legs and some speed. It worked out."

The Padres snapped a two-game losing streak largely by capitalizing on Philadelphia's inability to score with runners in scoring position.

The Phillies have scored one run or less in 10 games this season.

Gregerson replaced Volquez and gave up a leadoff infield single to Juan Pierre. Jimmy Rollins sacrificed Pierre over to second but Gregerson's throw sailed over first baseman Yonder Alonso. With runners on first and second, Gregerson got Placido Polanco to ground out back to him for the first out. The Padres then elected to intentionally walk Shane Victorino, who had hit safely in his first three at-bats.

Manager Bud Black's strategy worked, as Pence then popped out to second baseman Orlando Hudson and Ty Wigginton hit into a fielder's choice.

Cashner, who fired a few pitches marked at 102 mph, pitched a scoreless eighth. The Phillies had another scoring opportunity in the ninth, but Thayer retired Victorino and Pence with a runner on third for his third save in three chances this season.

Philadelphia has lost four of its last five games and six of nine.

Philadelphia's lone run came on light-hitting Freddy Galvis' double past an outstretched Alonso with one out in the bottom of the second inning, scoring John Mayberry Jr.

The Padres answered back on Bartlett's leadoff double in the third and he later scored on Will Venable's one-out, opposite-field double down the right-field line to tie it at 1. Halladay got James Darnell to fly out to left and struck out Chase Headley to end the inning.

The Phillies had their chances against Volquez in the fifth after he retired the first two batters. The right-hander gave up a single to Polanco and a double to Victorino before walking Pence to load the bases. And just like in the first when pitching coach Darren Balsley came out for a visit, Volquez retired Wigginton, this time on a fly out to center.

NOTES: Victorino stole his 10th base of the year in the first. He had 19 stolen bases last season. ... San Diego left fielder Mark Kotsay left the game in the bottom of the second inning with a lower back injury. .. Polanco went 1 for 4 and is one hit shy of career No. 2,000.