(Sports Network) – The Philadelphia Phillies hope to continue their mastery of the San Diego Padres this afternoon when they resume a four-game set at Citizens Bank Ballpark.
The Phillies have won nine straight and 16 of their last 18 meetings between these teams following an 8-6 win on Saturday. Ryan Howard’s pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning provided the spark, as the Phillies scored five times in the frame to win for the fourth time overall.
“To be able to come through in that situation, it’s big,” said Howard.
The Phillies hit three more homers off Padres reliever Chad Qualls during the outburst, turning a one-run deficit into an 8-4 lead.
Michael Stutes (5-1) earned the win in 1 1/3 innings of relief, while Ryan Madson worked around a Ryan Ludwick double in the ninth for his 17th save.
Qualls (4-5) was charged with five runs while getting just one out in the eighth.
It doesn’t figure to get any easier for San Diego this afternoon when it goes up against reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.
Halladay had to leave his last start on Monday in Chicago because of heat exhaustion. It was apparent that Halladay was battling the elements, as he was sweating profusely and had to change his jersey before finally exiting in the fifth inning. He absorbed the loss, though, allowing three runs and seven hits in four innings.
“He got real hot and dizzy and we were concerned about dehydration,” said Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel about Halladay. “We brought him in here and got their (Cubs) doctor and he looked at him and treated him.”
That broke a road streak of 63 games during which Halladay had gone at least six innings and it was his shortest start since June 12, 2009 when he was pitching for Toronto in a game against Florida.
On the season, the All-Star starter is 11-4 with a 2.57 earned run average over 20 starts. Prior to Monday’s loss, the Phillies had won all of Halladay’s 10 previous starts with the righty going 6-0 during that time.
Halladay pitched into the ninth inning to beat the Padres earlier in the season and is a perfect 2-0 lifetime against them with a 1.72 ERA in two starts.
San Diego, meanwhile, will rely on righty Tim Stauffer, who has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball of late, winning four of his last five starts, while surrendering two earned runs or less in his last eight.
Stauffer was terrific in defeating the Florida Marlins on Tuesday, as he scattered four hits over six scoreless innings to run his record to 6-6 and lowered his ERA to 2.83.
Stauffer has faced the Phillies three times and is 0-1 with an 11.15 ERA.