Times wires
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
WASHINGTON — Jayson Werth tried hard not to show that this performance against his old Phillies teammates meant anything special.
Werth homered and doubled to lead the Nationals to a 7-4 win Tuesday night in his first appearance against Philadelphia since leaving as a free agent.
Asked about the significance of the game, at first he called it "business as usual." But a question about his home run led to a playful dig at his former manager, Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel.
"I was just trying to perform well for Charlie," Werth said with a smile. "He hasn't seen me play in a while."
Werth, who signed with the Nationals after four years with Philadelphia, doubled to lead off the fourth and scored, starting a three-run inning that gave the Nationals the lead for good. He homered in the fifth for a 5-1 lead.
"Anytime you hit a home run you're going to have some satisfaction," Werth said. "Was it extra special against those guys? Probably a little bit."