Ian Desmond homers after words of encouragement from Cal Ripken Jr.

The struggles this season for Ian Desmond are well-chronicled. The free-agent-to-be entered tonight's game with his average plummeting to .204 after going 0-for-13 with five strikeouts in the Nationals' previous four games. But, the seven-year veteran's night at the plate ended up factoring in the Nationals' 7-2 win in the series opener over the Mets.

Desmond's infield single in the third led to a throwing error by Mets third baseman Daniel Murphy, which allowed Clint Robinson to score the Nationals' fifth run against right-hander Matt Harvey.

The shortstop added some insurance for the Nationals in the eighth when he blasted a two-run homer over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center. It was Desmond's eighth home run, but first since June 28.

"I just saw it middle and just tried to put a good swing on it," Desmond said of the fastball from left-hander Alex Torres. "It was nice to get one on the barrel."

After the game, Desmond reflected on some words of encouragement he received over the weekend from one of the game's all-time legendary shortstops.

"It was funny," Desmond said. "The other day I was walking out of the park and Cal Ripken (Jr.) was out there signing autographs in the parking lot. He kind of grabbed me and he said, 'Hey, you know back in '93, through the first 80 games, I was hitting .199. I finished with a pretty good year. You're gonna be all right.'

"That kind of gave me a little bit of hope. I was like, 'All right, if he did it and grinded through it, then I can, too.'

"That's the kind of the mentality I had, but it's always nice to have that reassurance. You never know where it's gonna come from or who's gonna be the person that kind of lifts you up, but you gotta keep your ears and eyes open all the time."

Hall of Famer Ripken battled back that year to hit .257 with 24 homers and 90 RBIs. Those numbers nearly mirror Desmond's from the past three seasons. Maybe Desmond can consistently find his stroke at the plate in what is likely his last three months in D.C.