Danny Espinosa and divine intervention

On this holiest of weekends, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti walked into the Nationals dugout before yesterday's game to offer blessings as the team prepares to embark on a season filled with expectations higher than the clouds.

Several Nats players were just steps away, participating in pregame stretching when they began to switch their attention to Rossetti, who was dressed in long, white vestments. Rossetti began sprinkling holy water on the bench and then eventually the bat racks.

Nats infielder Danny Espinosa was among those warming up. He hurried to grab his bat and met Rossetti on the steps of the dugout, extending it for a blessing.

"Dump the holy water on it," he said as Rossetti began showering the barrel of the bat while offering blessings.

It was an entertaining moment for the Nats players, but also a nice one. A few came over asking for individual blessings after.

The benediction of Espinosa's bat can only help with the difficult transition he's still in the process of going through at the plate. He showed up to spring training tasked by Nationals manager Matt Williams with learning how to bat exclusively from the right side, a difficult proposition for someone who's been a switch-hitter since whiffle ball.

Espinosa, already blessed with what Williams has called "golden" hands, is the Nats' best defensive player. But his bat has been mostly disappointing throughout his career. He had 97 strikeouts in 249 at-bats and hit just .183 from the left side of the plate in 2014. However, as a right-handed hitter, he produced three home runs and 10 RBIs while batting .301 last year. The career numbers reflect similar results. He owns a lifetime .213 batting average as a left-handed hitter facing right-handed pitching versus a .271 average from the right side against left-handers.

In the early weeks of spring training, when practice ended and the rest of the team made its way to the clubhouse for showers and lunch, Espinosa would head back out to the Space Coast Stadium field for additional batting practice with Williams and Nationals hitting coach Rick Schu.

It's still very much a work in progress for Espinosa, who only managed seven hits in 56 at-bats, all from the right side, throughout the exhibition season. His 18 strikeouts were second-most on the team behind shortstop Ian Desmond this spring.

In addition, Williams asked the versatile Espinosa to try third base this spring in an effort to find a solution for replacing the injured Anthony Rendon. Espinosa had never played the position in his life, but looked fairly comfortable in the handful of starts he made.

The surprise emergence of three-time All-Star Dan Uggla, coupled with the offseason trade to acquire infielder Yunel Escobar, have made this spring dicey at times for Espinosa. But the 28-year-old is basically a lock to make the Nationals' opening day roster when Williams officially announces it later this afternoon.

"He's just a gamer," Williams said. "I like his attitude. He loves to play and he wants to play bad and he's willing to do whatever we ask him to do, which is great. We want nothing but great things for him. We want him to have success and feel good about it. He's a vital part of our team."

Expect to see a lot more of Rossetti around Nats Park if Espinosa's bat miraculously comes alive early this season.