Philadelphia 8, Chi. Cubs 7

Phillies 8, Cubs 7: Roy Halladay pitched eight solid innings and Carlos Ruiz went 4-for-5 with three runs batted in as Philadelphia held on for its season-best fifth straight victory.

Halladay (4-3) scattered seven hits and struck out four without a walk, throwing 99 pitches. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored a pair of runs.

The Cubs staged a two-out rally in the ninth against relievers Jacob Diekman and Jonathan Papelbon, getting a three-run double from Welington Castillo and an RBI single from Darwin Barney before Papelbon got Reed Johnson on a game-ending groundout to third.

The Phillies took the lead for good with three runs in the second inning against Chris Volstad (0-6). Hunter Pence followed Shane Victorino’s RBI groundout with a two-run single to center field.

Ruiz, who had an RBI base hit in the first inning, added another in the fifth to make it 5-1, and he plated Pence with a double during Philadelphia’s three-run eighth after two runs scored on a throwing error by Cubs reliever Blake Parker.

Starlin Castro drove in the first two Chicago runs, one on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and the other on a home run in the seventh. Castillo added a solo homer in the eighth.

Volstad lasted just two innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Cubs are 0-8 this season when Volstad starts and 15-15 in all other games. ... Philadelphia had lost each of Halladay’s previous five starts, the longest such streak of his career. ... Ruiz is 7-for-8 with a walk in his last nine plate appearances ... Parker, who was making his major-league debut, allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings, all unearned.

• Chi. Cubs will play their next game at home against Chi. White Sox. The Cubs have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .500 after a loss.
• Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Boston. The Phillies have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .526 after a loss.