Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Jayson Werth finished 3-for-4 with four runs batted in, as the Philadelphia Phillies downed National League East rival Atlanta, 5-4, in the initial contest of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.

Werth won the game with his bat -- tying a career high with four RBI -- then nearly lost it in the field.

With Mark Kotsay on second and Chipper Jones on first in the ninth, Brad Lidge faced Brian McCann with two outs. McCann lofted a line drive to center, but Werth froze and the ball flew over his head, scoring Kotsay with the first earned run surrendered by Lidge this season.

Lidge followed that with a four-pitch walk to injury-replacement Greg Norton, but Jeff Francoeur flied out to Shane Victorino in right to end the game. Kyle Kendrick (3-2) managed his way through six frames despite 11 baserunners and only two strikeouts.

Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell each finished 2-for-4 and Victorino also collected two hits for the Phillies, who have split their last eight games.

Jones added three more hits to his all-world start, raising his league-leading batting average to .415. Francoeur drove in a pair of runs for the Braves, who have dropped four of five and fell to a mind-boggling 1-11 in one-run games despite holding the best batting average and team earned run average in the NL entering Tuesday's contest. Atlanta has lost its last 16 one-run contests on the road.

Jo-Jo Reyes (1-1) took the loss after surrendering five runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

The Phillies showed their mettle in battling back from a 3-0 deficit.

Kendrick worked out of trouble in the second and third frames amid a mounting pitch count before a relatively quick 1-2-3 fourth frame. The Phillies rewarded their young right-hander with a two spot in the home half.

Chase Utley pulled a single just out of the reach of second baseman Kelly Johnson and Howard stayed on a fastball, driving it off the base of the center-field fence for extra bases. Werth picked up Burrell, who struck out looking, with a two-run single to center.

Howard's second hit of the night, a bullet through the shift and into right scored Victorino with the tying run in the bottom of the fifth. Victorino doubled earlier in the frame and Burrell added to the hit parade with a single to center following Howard's RBI base hit. Werth's single to left kept the rally going, and Howard chugged home standing for a 4-3 lead.

The Braves literally ran themselves out of a possible big inning in the sixth. Manager Bobby Cox's managerial decision didn't help.

Johnson singled and Gregor Blanco walked with one out, but Cox stuck with Reyes, who had thrown 79 pitches through five frames, likely due in part to the Braves tired bullpen after Atlanta's doubleheader in Pittsburgh on Monday.

Reyes bunted through the first pitch, and Johnson was inexplicably caught wandering off second for the second out. Reyes then shattered his bat on a chopper back to Kendrick, who tossed the ball to Howard and held the Braves scoreless in his final five frames.

J.C. Romero, who gave up the game-winning home run in San Francisco on Sunday, struck out Norton with two runners on base to end the threat in the seventh.

Werth's fourth RBI of the game gave the Phillies an insurance tally in the seventh. Burrell doubled with two outs and pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett easily crossed the plate on Werth's pop fly that dropped just out of the reach of a diving Blanco.

The Braves, thanks in part to the red-hot Jones, tagged Kendrick for three runs in the game's first at-bat. Yunel Escobar singled to start the game before Kendrick issued a free pass to Kotsay. Jones then did his part, hitting a looping single into center, plating Escobar with the game's first run.

After recording two straight outs, Kendrick failed to see his way completely out of the self-inflicted pickle. Francoeur slapped a two-run single down the line in right, scoring the remaining baserunners for a 3-0 advantage.