CHICAGO -- Growing up three hours away from Chicago in Springfield, Ill., Jayson Werth might've had the difficult choice of whether to support the Cubs or Cardinals. Luckily, his uncle, former Angels shortstop Dick Schofield, made that a non-factor.

"I was an Angels fan because of that," Werth said. "I would probably pull for the Cardinals, but I also liked the White Sox because of Carlton Fisk."

As if Cubs fans didn't have enough reason to dislike Werth, he gave them more on Saturday, with a two-homer, four-RBI performance in the Phillies' 5-2 win on Saturday at Wrigley Field.

With the Mets' loss to the Marlins, the Phils are one game behind the Mets in the National League East.

In ending Chicago's seven-game winning streak, Werth gave Philadelphia a chance to split the four-game series with a win Sunday. The right fielder, who already had wrestled playing time from Geoff Jenkins before his right hip flexor injury, has been a constant in an inconsistent offense.

Werth's batting .378 with four homers and 10 RBIs in his past 14 games and keeps forcing manager Charlie Manuel to write his name in the lineup. Newcomer Matt Stairs will play, but it might be in place of the slumping Pat Burrell, since Werth is stating a strong case to be an everyday player.

"That's how you get it," Manuel said. "He hit the ball real good today, and he's been getting better. That's exactly what we need. Jayson's got all the talent in the world. The more he plays, the better he'll get."

Ryan Howard belted his Major League-leading 37th home run, accounting for Philadelphia's other run. Werth smacked solo home runs in the fifth and eighth innings off lefties Ted Lilly and Neal Cotts, respectively, and laced a tiebreaking two-run single in the sixth.

While the right fielder leads the National League with 14 homers against southpaws, Werth's two-run single was his most crucial hit. With the score tied at 1 in the sixth, he batted with two outs and the bases loaded.

With about 25 family members and friends in attendance, Werth sliced a single the opposite way, scoring Chase Utley and Howard, who rumbled in from second and slid away from Cubs catcher Geovany Soto's tag.

"It's a situation where the game is tied and it's 2-0 with the bases loaded," said Werth, who is 2-for-14 (.143) this season and 11-for-48 (.229) lifetime with the bases loaded. "He threw a strike and then I got a fastball. I put a pretty good swing on it and went to right field with the pitch. Howie did a great job sliding around the tag. His top speed is nice."

That was enough for a resurgent Brett Myers, who continues to dominate since returning from the Minor Leagues. The righty allowed two runs in seven-plus innings and has a 1.78 ERA in his past eight starts.

At 99 pitches through seven innings, Myers came out for the eighth and allowed three straight hits and a run. J.C. Romero relieved and struck out the side, though he issued a two-out walk that loaded the bases, and had an emotional outburst on his way off the mound.

"He got a little charged up, but at the same time, he did a good job," Manuel said. "He struck the side out, that was big."

With a three-game losing streak snapped, the Phillies will turn their focus to a potential split Sunday.

"We lost three games late," Manuel said. "Today was a must for us. This late in the season, we can't afford to be losing three and four games in a row. We are going to lose some, but we have to hold it to a minimum."

Manuel stressed the importance of staying loose as the pennant race wraps up with a 26-game sprint.

"Pressure is what you put on yourself," Manuel said. "The guy that keeps his cool is usually [the] guy who comes through in big situations. If there's a negative thought, more than likely you're going to fail. They say baseball builds character. I don't know if it builds it, but your character definitely comes out.

"We have to be more determined than ever, and we can do it."