BOX SCORE
Roy Halladay earned his first win in a month, allowing three runs in eight innings, and the Phillies beat the Cubs 8-7 Thursday night at Wrigley Field for their season-high fifth straight win.
The win boosted the Phillies back over .500 at 20-19, the first time theyve had a winning record since they beat the Pirates 1-0 on April 5 -- opening day.
Halladay is now 108-0 in games in his career in games in which hes pitched at any point with a four-run lead.
Carlos Ruiz had four of the Phillies 14 hits, the Phillies first four-hit game since Ruiz had four hits against the Mets last September. Hes now hitting .363 with 27 RBIs. In May, hes hitting .429 with 17 RBIs.
The Cubs scored four runs off the Phillies' bullpen after trailing 8-3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Starting Pitching Report
Halladay had been 0-3 with two no-decisions in his last five starts, all Phillies losses. It was the first time since 1999 Halladays team lost five straight games that he started.
MLB
He wasnt brilliant Thursday, but with the offense continuing to tag Cubs pitching, he didnt need to be. Halladay allowed seven hits and three runs, all earned, in eight innings. He struck out four and walked none.
Neither Phillie starter in the two-game series -- Kyle Kendrick and Halladay -- walked a batter.
In the last eight games, Phillies starters havent allowed more than eight runs. In all, theyve given up 14 earned runs in 57 innings during that stretch -- a 2.21 ERA.
Cubs starter Chris Volstad lasted just two innings, giving up four earned runs, six hits and two walks. In 14 career starts against the Phillies, hes 2-6 with a 6.22 ERA. The Phillies are hitting .307 all-time vs. Volstad.
Bullpen report
Jake Diekman got the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but walked two and allowed three runs on one hit. Jonathan Papelbon came in to record the last out after he allowed an RBI single to Darwin Barney, and improved to 11-for-11 in save opportunities.
After Dale Sveum gave Volstad a quick hook, Casey Coleman pitched four innings in relief, allowing one run. It was the longest relief stint against the Phillies in nearly a year, since Carlos Fisher of the Reds went 5 23 in a game last May 25.
At the plate
The Phillies sent 15 batters to the plate in two innings off Volstad, and nine of them reached base.
Ruizs RBI single in the first scored Jimmy Rollins, who had singled, and the Phillies added three runs in the second on an infield grounder by Shane Victorino and two-run single by Hunter Pence.
The Phils added a run on Ruizs RBI single in the fifth and three unearned runs in the eighth on a throwing error by Cubs reliever Blake Parker and Ruizs third RBI hit of the night.
Rollins reached base three times with a single and two walks and scored three runs and Hunter Pence had a single and double.
In the field
Juan Pierre made two outstanding plays in left field Thursday night.
In the first, he turned in a slick diving catch of a sinking line drive off the bat of Bryan LaHair, and in the seventh, he ran toward the left-field line and dove to make a Sno-Cone catch of Alfonso Sorianos fly ball down the line.
Ty Wigginton cleanly scooped a sharp drive hit by Welington Castillo with one out and Ian Stewart on first base in the second, turning it into a 5-4-3 double-play.
Stats Incredible!
Halladay had his third career multi-hit game Thursday night and is now hitting .208 this year. Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels combined are hitting .240 this year on 12-for-50. Thats higher than former N.L. MVP Jimmy Rollins (.234).
Attendance
The Cubs announced a crowd of 37,986, including several thousand Phillies fans.
Up next
The Phillies begin a three-game series with the Red Sox Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Match-ups are righthander Daniel Bard (3-4, 4.30) vs. Cole Hamels (5-1, 2.28) Friday night, lefty Jon Lester (2-3, 3.71) vs. Joe Blanton (4-3, 2.96) Saturday night and righty Josh Beckett (3-4, 4.97) vs. Cliff Lee (0-1, 1.95) Sunday afternoon.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com