Roy Halladay Looks to Avenge First Loss as Phillies Take on Paul Maholm and Cubs

After suffering his first loss of the season against the Padres in his last start, Roy Halladay and the Phillies will take on the Cubs on Friday night at 7:05 ET at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies’ offense has been struggling in April, lacking the big pop usually provided by the likes of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Halladay has risen to the challenge given to him by his inconsistent offense, allowing just five runs over 30 innings.

He owns an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 0.900.

He did struggle a bit in his outing against the Padres, though. Even though he allowed just two runs, Halladay issued four free passes—three in a row in the second inning—and was unable to put hitters away.

With a weak Cubs offense, Halladay will likely cruise and avenge the loss.

Over the course of his career, Halladay has held the Cubs to a line of .265/.272/.425.

Starlin Castro has the most success against Halladay, owning a .556 average through nine at-bats.

His counterpart, Paul Maholm, has faced the Phillies seven times in his career. He owns a 3-2 record and a 4.50 ERA against them.

Look for the Phillies’ offense to come out swinging against the soft-tossing left-hander, as they look to give Halladay the run support necessary for him to get back in the win column.

Each starter in the Phillies’ lineup that has faced Maholm owns an average of at least .286 against him, with Hunter Pence achieving the most success.

In 44 at-bats, Pence has compiled a .318 average with two home runs and nine RBI.

Look for Halladay and the Phillies to play a solid game today, as the offense will get back on track and Halladay will pitch a gem.

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