Werth

This is the sort of return the Washington Nationals are expecting for their huge investment in Jayson Werth: The moxie to pull off a steal of third in the 10th inning at a time when his every mistake has been generating boos. Moments after he stunned the ballpark by swiping the bag, Werth was crossing home plate with arms raised, his teammates headed his way to celebrate. Werth had scored on a wild pitch, and the fans who had been so hard on him the last few days were cheering his daring move in a 5-4, Fourth of July matinee win over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

Braves 4, Rockies 1 ATLANTA - Freddie Freeman homered twice to drive in three runs, Tommy Hanson combined with two relievers on a four-hitter and Atlanta beat Colorado, Freeman's two-run shot in the first inning drove in Brian McCann, who singled with two outs off Ubaldo Jimenez (3-8). The rookie first baseman hit his 11th homer in the eighth off Matt Reynolds. Jimenez was facing the Braves for the first time since throwing a no-hitter at Turner Field on April 17, 2010. It was the first no-hitter in Rockies history.

WASHINGTON - Omar Infante used a clever slide to score on Greg Dobbs' double in the 11th inning, giving the Florida Marlins a 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night. On a night of spectacular plays, Infante made the most important one. With one out, he singled off Brian Broderick (0-1), then came all the way around on Dobbs' drive to right. The ball beat Infante to home plate and Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was in position to make a tag, but Infante slid head-first and reached over and around Ramos to touch the back tip of the plate for the go-ahead run. The Marlins, who have won seven straight in Washington, could have gone ahead in the fifth but Roger Bernadina made a sensational catch to keep it tied.

The Nationals are showing some resiliency at the end of a road trip. Ian Desmond hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the 11th inning, Jayson Werth followed with a two-run homer and Washington beat Atlanta, 7-3, last night. After losing three straight at Citizens Bank Park to open a nine-game road trip, the Nationals (18-18) have climbed back to .500 overall by winning four of five, including the first two games of the three-game series with the Braves. The win in the 11th was set up by a two-run rally after the Braves led 3-1 in the ninth.

THE IMAGE of the Philadelphia sports fan as a little over the top, quick to find fault and just as quick to express that displeasure with long and loud boos, occasionally obnoxious and always hyperopinionated is absolutely true. It's also only half the story. We are just as extreme in the opposite direction. When players and teams show heart and hustle and grit and determination, mirroring the lunch-pail image the region has of itself, the resulting adulation is all out of proportion as well: Fred Shero, before the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup: "Win today and we walk together forever.

Jayson Werth knew what was coming. He had seen it, lived it, loved it, admired it, and marveled at it - the unvarnished passion of Philly fans - so he knew that the lively crowd at Citizens Bank Park would have something special for him Tuesday night. He was the villain for taking an ungodly sum of money to play baseball in Washington instead of staying in the baseball utopia that Philadelphia has become for considerably fewer dollars and years. Werth got that. The fans were mad he left.

WASHINGTON - Tom Gorzelanny allowed only three hits in eight sharp innings against a struggling San Francisco lineup, and Michael Morse and Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in runs for Washington, helping the Nationals beat the Giants, 2-0, Monday on Military Appreciation Night. Gorzelanny (1-2) hadn't lasted eight innings in a game since Aug. 12, 2007, when he threw a shutout for Pittsburgh, also against the Giants. On Monday, he gave up Aaron Rowand's double leading off the game and single in the third, plus Cody Ross' single in the eighth.

WASHINGTON - On a dreary, drizzly Sunday morning, Jayson Werth moved through the pregame rituals in his familiar fist-bumping, hip-talking, wisecracking pose, a well-practiced baseball blend of insouciance and imperturbability. Superfluous sunglasses, a low-riding hat, dark beard stubble, and his trademark goatee combined to obscure Werth's face. Leaning on a bat, his feet casually crossed, he chatted with ex-teammate Pat Burrell, pivoted slowly to peruse but not praise a well-struck ball, and howled like a wolf when a rehearsing anthem singer hit a sour note.

IT HAS BEEN MORE than 6 months since Jayson Werth last played a baseball game at Citizens Bank Park. Back then he was a beloved member of the Phillies as they were knocked out of the playoffs by the San Francisco Giants. He comes back tonight as a black-hatted villain. Some people remain miffed that he signed elsewhere as a free agent, never mind that the 7-year, $126 million deal he got from Washington far eclipsed the next highest offer. So when he's introduced and when he steps to the plate, he certainly will be showered with boos.

WASHINGTON - After Joe Blanton allowed three runs in the fourth inning of a 7-4 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday, the Phillies righthander sat in the dugout and could only think about one thing. "I remember that same feeling," he said. Pitching from the stretch with runners on, Blanton said his sinker didn't sink like it should. His secondary pitches were left up in the zone. Everything that felt right in the windup with the bases empty was wrong from the stretch. And it's a feeling he's had before.