Adam Laroche

ORLANDO — Adam LaRoche ambled toward his cart and clubs Saturday morning, ready to warm up on the driving range at Nationals Manager Davey Johnson's charity golf tournament . Sitting in his own cart, Johnson spotted LaRoche and saw a chance to continue his winter-long pitch for LaRoche to re-sign with the Washington Nationals . "Is your hand cramped up?" Johnson asked his first baseman, wondering if it was preventing him from signing a contract. LaRoche had not reached that point.

SAN DIEGO — At times during their first week out West, the Washington Nationals showed glimpses of shedding their disappointing start to this season. At times during Sunday afternoon's 13-4 dismantling at the hands of the San Diego Padres, they played as if intent on reversing any positive thrust they had gathered. The Nationals' offense showed a pulse, at least, but only after starter Dan Haren tumbled back into his troubling, early-season form and before their bullpen imploded.

VIERA, FLA. — Two weeks ago, Adam LaRoche arrived at spring training with an equipment bag slung over his shoulder and the luckiest 11-year-old in America walking close behind — his shadow, son and best buddy. A few players inside the Washington Nationals clubhouse rushed over to hug Drake LaRoche and say hello. He pulled off his cap to reveal a buzzed scalp, except for the long hair dangling from the back of his head. "Who cut your hair?" someone asked. "Jason," Drake...

SAN DIEGO — The thing about pinch hitting is, it only takes one swing. One minute, Chad Tracy can be sitting in the Washington Nationals dugout, a bystander as victory nears. The next, he may be running to the end of the tunnel for two emergency warmup hacks. One night, he may be staying up in bed wondering when the next hit will come. The next, he could pump his fist while circling the bases, having rescued the other 24 men in his clubhouse from an agonizing loss. Tracy...

When Adam LaRoche is in a hitting slump, like his current horrible 0 for 26 with 13 strikeouts, he looks like a bewildered deer in the forest being hunted by that well-known bow-and-arrow outdoorsman, Adam LaRoche. The Nats' first baseman, like the critters that he stalks on his Outdoor Channel TV show, knows that something is very wrong, but he doesn't know what to do. Right now, he's just a disoriented form of baseball wildlife, caught in the crosshairs of his sport, hoping that...

With the signing of Adam LaRoche this week, the Washington Nationals have probably made the last significant move of their offseason, aside from trading Michael Morse , who now has no position, for a prospect or reliever. Have the Nationals, once they deal away the popular Beast, taken a step backward, lost part of their swagger and team chemistry? Or have the Nats actually tightened screws, smoothed the last edges of a juggernaut? The first is possible; the latter tantalizing...

The Washington Nationals and first baseman Adam LaRoche ended their offseason-long stalemate Tuesday and agreed to terms on a two-year contract, returning one of their most valuable players from 2012 to the middle of their lineup while making popular slugger Michael Morse near-certain trade bait . LaRoche, a reigning Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner in the National League, accepted the two-year offer the Nationals had on the table...

Adam LaRoche set reasonable expectations as he entered free agency this winter, certainly lower than what could have been justified. He had been the most productive first baseman in the National League in 2012: a 33-homer, 100-RBI force and the winner of both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove, perhaps the most valuable player on the 98-win Washington Nationals . He sought a three-year contract without an outrageous annual price tag, and recent...

VIERA, FLA. — About a half-mile down the road from Space Coast Stadium, while the rest of the Washington Nationals prepared for their game Wednesday afternoon, Adam LaRoche dug into the batter's box on Field 3. He played for both teams in a simulated game between Nationals minor leaguers, hitting third every half-inning in an attempt to catch up on the missed at-bats his sprained left ankle cost him. After he hit the ball on the ground,...

The void in the middle of their lineup both raised concerns and allowed the Washington Nationals to ponder what may be possible. Adam LaRoche carried them in April and vanished in mid-May. Ryan Zimmerman played like an imposter both before and after he spent two weeks on the disabled list. Michael Morse was a phantom for 50 games. And still Washington entered Wednesday night in first place in the National League East . "When Michael Morse starts hitting and these...

Last year when the Nationals had injuries to regulars or slumps by key hitters, they found ways to compensate with poised rookies, bench players or inspired contributions until offensive reinforcements arrived to save the day. This year, the Nats have sounded the cavalry trumpets again. But the guys riding over the hill have all had wet powder or empty muskets. As the Nats' season passed the one-quarter mark, only two teams had scored fewer runs and their closest stat neighbor was the...

We know Stephen Strasburg can be a stubborn, hard-nosed competitor. We saw it last season when the Washington Nationals insisted on shutting him down early and Strasburg tried every trick in the book to avoid it. He was mentally tough when he was fighting to save his spot in the rotation and play in the postseason. So where was that guy Saturday after Ryan Zimmerman's throwing error in an eventual loss to the Cubs ? Because the guy we saw couldn't shake it off, showed his general disgust to...

LOS ANGELES — Faced with an already depleted lineup and opposed by the best left-handed starting pitcher in baseball, Davey Johnson played a hunch. He figured, why not? With Jayson Werth on the disabled list, Bryce Harper in the Washington Nationals trainer's room and Clayton Kershaw on the mound, Johnson removed his leadoff hitter, too. He put Denard Span, fully healthy, on the bench and gave Eury Perez the first start of his career. Johnson put his faith in long odds. Johnson's gamble...

The Washington Nationals had the Chicago Cubs in an ideal position on Sunday. Starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez had carved through Chicago's meager lineup, carrying a bid for a perfect game into the sixth inning. The Nationals gave him a 1-0 lead and he tossed seven dominating innings. With a low pitch count, he was poised to pitch deeper. But with his spot in the order up first in the bottom of the seventh, Nationals Manager Davey Johnson turned to a pinch hitter....

For the first four innings of Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs , Stephen Strasburg spun near perfection on the mound. His command looked impeccable, his fastball blazing and his offspeed pitches knee-buckling. He gave up only one hit. Then, in one disastrous inning, the game went from a pitcher's duel between Strasburg and Edwin Jackson to a deflating, shoulder-slumping end for the Washington Nationals . Ryan Zimmerman 's sixth error of the season with two outs...

WASHINGTON — Dominant early, Stephen Strasburg fell apart after one of Ryan Zimmerman's two errors and wound up dropping his fifth consecutive decision, an 8-2 loss Saturday to the Chicago Cubs, whose starting pitcher, Edwin Jackson, worked into the sixth inning and hit a two-run double for good measure. Jackson (1-5) retired 12 of Washington's first 13 batters and allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1-3 innings. He earned his first win under a $52 million, four-year...

The last man on the field was Adam LaRoche . Every other player jogged to the dugout between the seventh and eighth innings Wednesday night. LaRoche, having just delivered the most crucial hit in the Washington Nationals ' 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates , ambled from second base to his position at first. The Nationals Park crowd recognized the opportunity. The 25,942 stood and showered him with an ovation. LaRoche offered a small grin — that's all he's got in the grin...

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The previous three days had seen Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen confined to the bullpen, reducing two of the Washington Nationals ' most potent weapons to spectators. They watched again for the first six innings Friday night, as tension built at Sun Life Stadium, while their teammates, flaws and all, crafted a situation worthy of their talents. Finally given a chance, Clippard and Storen — with a game-ending cameo by Sean Burnett...

A baseball team's season seldom changes radically on one thrilling play or melodramatic game, except in fiction. But big league teams really can transform the trajectory of their year over short chunks of time. You don't go from lousy to good in a day, but you can in a week. And the Nats, with their sixth win in seven games, may have just done it. Eight days ago, the Nationals looked helpless against the Braves. Then Jordan Zimmermann and Dan Haren beat Atlanta back-to-back to stop what had been a nine-game losing streak...

WASHINGTON — Rafael Soriano has been so successful closing games for Washington that his teammates want to follow his lead, right down to the untucked jersey. Soriano converted his 12th save in 13 chances to end the Nationals' 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday to complete a two-game sweep of the AL champions. Once Soriano retired Prince Fielder on a game-ending flyout to the center field warning track with a man on, Soriano was joined in his signature...