ESPN MLB

While Roy Halladay continues to win games for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago's Carlos Zambrano has again drawn attention for his recent actions off the mound instead of on it.

Trying to become the first nine-game winner in the majors, Halladay looks for his first career victory against Zambrano and the Cubs on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Halladay (8-3, 2.56 ERA) tries to win his third straight start after he allowed two runs in seven innings of a 7-3 win at Pittsburgh on Sunday. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 3.41 ERA over his last four outings.

"I think you're just trying to do the best job you can," Halladay said. "I just go out and try to make pitches and give us the best chance to win."

Halladay has not always done that while going 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA against the Cubs. He allowed five earned runs in six innings of an 11-6 loss at Chicago on July 18.

He'll look for a better effort while trying to help the Phillies (37-26) bounce back after they blew a 3-0 lead and fell for the sixth time in nine games, 4-3 in 11 innings to Chicago on Thursday. Geovany Soto hit a game-tying solo homer in the ninth and Tyler Colvin scored the winning run on Placido Polanco's throwing error.

Philadelphia, 32-1 when leading after eight innings, has failed to score more than three runs in eight of the last nine games.

The Cubs (25-36), meanwhile, have won two straight following a season-high eight-game skid.

"We can be 11, 12, 15 games out, but we start winning games, who knows?" Zambrano said. "It's not over yet. Believe me guys, it's not over for the Cubs."

Zambrano (5-2, 3.98) is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA in his last four starts, and has not received a decision in his last two outings despite allowing only two runs in 15 innings.

The right-hander gave up a run and five hits in seven innings and was in line for the win until closer Carlos Marmol allowed a tying double to Ryan Theriot in the ninth of a 3-2, 10-inning loss at St. Louis on Sunday. Zambrano said after the game that Marmol should have gone with a fastball to Theriot instead of a misplaced slider.

Zambrano, who has had his fare share of verbal confrontations with teammates, apologized to Marmol the next day.

"What I said was (in) a moment of frustration," Zambrano said. "Let's move on.

"I just want to get together with this team and play better, be a good leader for this team, do the best I can to help this team win a ballgame."

Zambrano has done that for the most part against Philadelphia, posting a 4-3 record and 3.62 ERA in eight starts.

Jimmy Rollins is a lifetime .150 hitter versus Zambrano, but hit a three-run homer Thursday while starting his first game since fouling a ball off his knee Saturday at Pittsburgh.

Teammate Ryan Howard is batting .194 in eight games this month after going 0 for 3 with two walks in the opener.

With two hits Thursday, Chicago's Aramis Ramirez has hit .333 his last nine games. However, he's 2 for 13 versus Halladay.