Howard leads rout of Padres, 14-2

PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard homered and drove in four runs, and the Philadelphia Phillies ended a four-game losing streak with a 14-2 rout over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

Howard, the reigning National League most valuable player, ended a season-high 11-game homerless drought and finished with three hits and three runs scored.

“This was definitely a big win; we’ve got to keep pushing,” Howard said.

Jayson Werth was five for five with four RBIs and Chris Coste hit a three-run homer for the Phillies, who moved to within three games of the NL wild-card-leading Padres. San Diego, which led the majors in earned-run average (3.51) going into the game, surrendered 14 runs and 17 hits, both season highs. The Padres had won four in a row to move to within two games of Arizona in the NL West.