Phillies score two in 7th to edge Brewers

FROM THE MORNING CALL

PHILADELPHIA — One pitcher giving up four home runs usually has disaster written all over it.

Roy Halladay, though, got a reprieve on Saturday night.

The Phillies ace allowed four solo homers, a first in 342 career starts, but got the win after the Phillies rescued him by scoring a pair of runs in the seventh inning for a 5-4 win over the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia (78-58) has now won five in a row and eight of nine. It remained one game in back of the N.L. East leading Braves and walked off the field with a 3.5 game lead in the Wild Card standings (the Giants are a late start).

The Brewers hit two solo home runs off Halladay in the second. The right-hander surrendered another in the third and then gave up a fourth solo shot in the seventh, which put Milwaukee ahead 4-3.

But the Phillies stormed back in the bottom of the seventh.

With one out and the bases loaded, Placido Polanco hit a sacrifice fly to left fielder Ryan Braun that scored Carlos Ruiz to tie things up.

Braun's off-line throw (he was charged with an error) got away from catcher Jonathan Lucroy, and Wilson Valdez, who had pinch hit earlier in the inning for Halladay, raced home for the game-winning run.

J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson combined to pitch a scoreless eighth.

Brad Lidge, who got the day off Friday after appearing in three straight games, came on in the ninth and retired all three batters he faced to get his 20th save.

"That's all part of what you have to do to win," Manuel said of the back end of the bullpen. "Our starting pitching, of course, has been real good, but our bullpen for awhile has been very consistent and working real good."

It was Halladay's 17th win this season (his first since Aug. 20), tying him for the league lead with Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez and St. Louis' Adam Wainwright.

Halladay walked two, struck out six and gave up seven hits (four HRs, a double and two singles) in seven innings.

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