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Halladay leads Phils into second test with Padres

May 12, 2012 - 3:13 PM (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies won each of Roy Halladay's first three starts of the season, but are winless in the previous four. Halladay gets the nod again tonight in the middle portion of a three-game series versus the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park.

Halladay is 0-2 with a 5.13 earned run average in his last four outings with consecutive no-decisions in losses to Atlanta and New York. He pitched well in Monday's 5-2 loss against the Mets, allowing two runs in seven innings with a season-high seven strikeouts. Halladay, who is 3-2 in seven starts with a 3.28 ERA, owns a 1-1 mark in three home starts this season.

The right-hander and two-time Cy Young Award winner was beaten by the Padres on April 21 this season after he gave up two runs in seven innings of a 5-1 setback at Petco Park. He is, however, 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts against San Diego.

Philadelphia received a decent outing from Friday's starter, Vance Worley, in a 7-3 win to open this series. Worley did allow three runs, six hits and two walks, but struck out nine over six innings and got a decent amount of run support. Worley is now 3-2 on the season, while Antonio Bastardo and Chad Qualls held the Padres scoreless the rest of the way.

Carlos Ruiz and John Mayberry both hit a two-run homer and an RBI single. while Freddy Galvis added an RBI double for Philadelphia, which had lost five of its previous six games and was swept by the New York Mets at home earlier in the week for the first time since 2006.

"Nobody likes to lose," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "Everything is good when you get a win."

Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco went 2-for-4 and needs two hits to reach 2,000 for his career. The Phils are still last in the NL East and own a 1-4 mark on an eight-game homestand that concludes with two games versus the Houston Astros.

San Diego suffered its fifth loss in seven tries last night and didn't get much help from starter Clayton Richard. The lefty was reached for five runs and eight hits, including two homers, in 5 1/3 innings to fall to 1-5 on the season. Mike Mikolas gave up two more runs in relief.

"The two home runs were up over the plate," Richard said. "They were both hit well. Those were pitches that will get hit hard nine out of 10 times."

Yonder Alonso homered for the first time as a Padre and finished with two RBI, while Jesus Guzman added two hits and drove in a run for San Diego, which opened a five-game trek on a sour note and sits in the basemen of the NL West.

Edinson Volquez earned his first win in a Padres uniform his last time out and looks to make it two in a row when he toes the rubber tonight. Volquez lasted 5 1/3 innings and was reached for a pair runs with five strikeouts in Monday's 3-2 win over Colorado, lifting his 2012 mark to 1-2 in seven starts with a 2.98 earned run average.

Volquez was 0-2 with a 2.92 ERA in his first six starts. He hasn't received much run support with the Padres producing three runs or more on three separate occasions when the righty takes the hill. Volquez lost to the Phillies on April 20, when he was hit for three runs in six innings of a 4-1 loss. In three career starts against Philadelphia, the former Reds starter is 2-1 with a strong 1.96 ERA.

The Padres and Phillies split a four-game set from April 19-22 this season out west, but Philadelphia has won 13 of the past 16 meetings in the series.