Weekend Wire Taps: Daniel Murphy, Leadoff Hitter; Drake LaRoche and the Nats; Meet Davey Lopes

It was an odd weekend in the Grapefruit League. The Nats and the Mets were rained out, Joe Ross left early against the Tigers, and then they lost after blowing a late lead. Only 15 days until Opening Day, when these things actually matter.

Here's the latest from Natstown.

Nationals vs Tigers - Joe Ross exits with a line drive to the foot, Harper homers twice
After the rainout on Saturday, the Nationals made up for it with an extremely exciting game. They lost, but at least Bryce Harper started the 2016 tater-fest.

The final answer on Bronson Arroyo
Arroyo's injury saga has been... quite... odd. First, an 80 percent tear of the labrum. Then, an inflamed bursa sac. Then, a less torn rotator cuff. More importantly than anything, Arroyo's injury isn't significant, and the rehab will take 4-6 weeks.

Brendan Ryan aiming for the bench
Today, in veterans on minor league contracts looking to secure the very few bench spots left on the Nationals' roster:

Daniel Murphy, leadoff hitter?

There's no question that Ben Revere or Trea Turner are the obvious choices for leadoff hitters. But let's think outside the box for a moment. Daniel Murphy, incidentally, lives outside the box.

Adam LaRoche's full comments on his retirement
The former first baseman addressed his decision to walk away from baseball, which mainly revolved around Ken Williams, the White Sox VP, and his request for LaRoche to significantly scale back, or completely eliminate, the time his son, Drake, spent in the clubhouse.

Davey Lopes, the "greatest first base coach of all time"
At least, according to Jayson Werth. The new coach is really having an impact on the strategy of the team's baserunning.

Tanking could play a huge role in the Nationals' season
If the Nationals want to win the division or make the playoffs, being able to demolish the tanking teams in the NL East could be vital to that plan..

The Nats held a party on Thursday night, and it was apparently pretty cool

The Nats invited some of their fans who are active on Twitter to the Nationals Park home clubhouse for a party. Not too many people were invited, but luckily, Jenn Rubenstein was there to capture the event, and from what you can see, it was really, really, really cool. Apparently, they'll be holding another one this fall, so stay tuned and get creative if you're interested in going.

An ode to Space Coast stadium
In the final two weeks of Spring Training, the Nationals are getting ready to say goodbye to Viera and Space Coast Stadium. Here are some fond memories from the old Expos/Nats hideaway.

The Nats loved Drake LaRoche
The reason Adam LaRoche retired, because his son was around was so much, was a reason the Nationals loved him.

Rafael Soriano retires
The former Nats news just continues to pile in: Rafael Soriano, the former sporadic closer for the Nationals, called it a career. The righty had a minor league contract with the Blue Jays this March before deciding to retire. Godspeed, Rafa.

Today's Game: Astros vs Nationals
Probable Pitchers: Scott Feldman vs Gio Gonzalez