MLB: Jayson Werth Homers, but Booed in Reunion with the Philadelphia Phillies

There were many empty seats at Nationals Park as the Philadelphia Phillies arrived in D.C. to begin their first series with the Washington Nationals this season.

The absence of fans wasn’t due to an uninteresting matchup, but the threat of rain, even though the game did start on time.

In fact, the faceoff between these two teams was much anticipated because of the offseason arrival of the Phillies‘ former slugger, Jayson Werth, to a lowly Nationals club.

Now that Werth has taken the field against his old team, maybe the hopelessly cliché headlines with annoying puns can finally be put to rest. Many of you know what I’m talking about, so I’m not going to further sicken myself by repeating them.

It was not a surprise that a large number of fans who did attend Tuesday night’s NL East matchup were supporters of the Phils and as expected, reacted harshly to the reunion with their former right fielder.

One fan proudly raised a sign that read, “Hope the money was worth it!” Okay, I said I wouldn’t repeat any puns, but at least I spelled “worth” the correct way.

Werth is definitely rolling in the cash after signing a $126 million contract with the Nats, but he better hope his new team improves, or it will be a long seven years in the nation’s capitol.

Every time the Phils flied out to right and Werth secured the out, a chorus of boos resounded in the chilly night air. This occurred several times in the early innings and also when he stepped to the plate and grounded out in his first at-bat.

On the other hand, Werth did receive cheers from his new fans as he hit his fourth double of the season and recorded a run in the fourth inning.

Later in the fifth, he smashed a homer in the face of Joe Blanton and the Phillies amid even more praise from the home team supporters.

Now we’ll just have to wait and compare the fan reaction upon Werth’s return to Citizen’s Bank Park in early May. At least he can take comfort in knowing that Philly fans aren’t known to be the nicest around.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Grading Each Player After the Phils’ First Three Series

After all of the preseason hype, largely due to the return of Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies have come out red hot in early April like a fox escaping a forest fire.

The Phils are off to a 7-2 start, capped off by 2-1 series win over the Atlanta Braves, who are thought to be their main competition in the NL East.

While their loaded pitching staff was expected to be their deadliest weapon, the Phillies offense has been the dominant force in crushing opponents in their opening three series.

They lead the league in batting average (.334), they’re second in OBP (.380) and third in slugging (.484). These impressive stats have created 59 runs in nine games, all without Jayson Werth and Chase Utley.

From the bench players to the superstar starters, everyone has been producing since Opening Day as the Phillies have taken control of the division.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Oswalt’s Close Call Reveals Pitching Vulnerability

With Opening Day nearly a week away, the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff is still the top topic of preseason predictions. On paper, the Phils should easily pitch their way to the World Series, but so many things can happen over the course of the season that nothing is certain.

Roy Oswalt’s frightening experience on the hill on Wednesday proved that seasons can be altered in the swing of a bat.

Oswalt took a line drive to the back of the neck in the fourth inning of a spring training matchup with the Rays. Manny Ramirez‘s blast sent him to the dirt, but fortunately he only ended up with a nasty bruise and was able to walk off on his own without losing consciousness.

His X-rays were negative, but one thing is positive in Philadelphia, things could have been much worse for the most talked-up rotation in Major League Baseball.

Oswalt is lucky he didn’t end up with a serious injury. The Phils have yet to rule out a concussion, but Charlie Manuel expects him to make his next start. Nevertheless, Oswalt took a scary shot and it showed how vulnerable pitchers are on the mound.

Chances are the Phillies‘ rotation will be the best around, but fans can only hope that freak accidents and injuries don’t send their stars to the DL.

Baseball may not seem as dangerous as football or hockey, but promising players can be sidelined quicker than a fastball passes over the plate. The ability to stay healthy and consistent over 162 games will determine if the Phillies will live up to their great expectations.

Such factors can cause the downfall of credible preseason predictions. Analysts can only guess. Sports are simply unpredictable. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

MLB Background Checks: The Meaning Behind Each Team’s Nickname

America’s favorite past-time evolved into the first major professional sports league in the United States—Major League Baseball.

The MLB was founded in 1869, and now has 30 teams, one of them in Canada.

The nicknames of these teams helped create the names of sports teams ever since. For those of you curious baseball fans and history buffs, here are the origins of each MLB team nickname.

Note: If you are also interested in NCAA, NFL, NBA, and NHL nicknames, check out my profile for the articles.

Begin Slideshow