Ian Desmond, Yunel Escobar will Nats to comeback win

No player has typified the first month for the Nationals better than shortstop Ian Desmond. From inexplicable fielding blunders to show-stopping defense, and from down-in-the-dumps batting slumps to curtain calls, Desmond has seen it all.

The fielding demons came quick. Desmond's two errors in the season's first game bungled the script on opening day, costing the Nats a win. He had a staggering eight errors all together in the first 12 games, and they were expensive. In the seven games Desmond committed miscues, the Nats lost six.

Meanwhile, at the plate, Desmond started slow before, finding a groove and settling into a 10-game hitting streak. But an 0-for-29 slump followed and so did the questions for the seven-year veteran.

The theories were endlessly bantered around for Desmond's problems: distractions from offseason trade rumors, pressure of a playing in a contract year or simply just a poor track record in the month of April.

Either way, Desmond has snapped out of it. He's only committed one error in his past 15 games, and since breaking out of his slump, Desmond has gone 5-for-11 (.455) with a homer, two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored in his last three games.

None of his hits were bigger than last night's eighth inning homer. Trailing by two, with one on and one out, Desmond rocked a first-pitch slider over the wall in straightaway center for a game-tying two-run dinger. And suddenly Desmond had turned the tide again.

"He's always mentally strong," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "He's ready to play every single day, and he has and he will continue to play for us. He knows that he's one swing away from getting hot. He knows he's a vital part of our team. He has many talents on the baseball field, can help us win a lot of games in a lot of different ways.

"He made a couple of nice defensive plays - one on Dee (Gordon), one in the hole-- and of course the two-run homer. So that's the special talent that he's got."

A couple batters later, the Nationals' relentless comeback was capped off by third baseman Yunel Escobar's two-run single. It was Escobar's fifth of hit of the night, the first time in his career he accomplished the feat.

Escobar, on his fifth ball club in nine seasons, called it the best game of his career after the game.

"This is the team I'm waiting for," Escobar said smiling. "Just being on the field with them. In my mind, it's just the team. I just want to win."

Winning is exactly what the Nats have been doing, coming out on the right side in six of their past seven games. Escobar has been the catalyst in many of those wins. After his 5-for-5 night, Escobar now leads the team with a .311 batting average.

"He doesn't get outside himself," Williams said. "He understands situations, he understands what's needed in that given at-bat, he's got an idea of what the pitcher's gonna do, he studies the previous hitters before him, and simply has an approach when he goes up there.

"So those kind of at-bats are at-bats that prolong innings, they get you wins like it did tonight. Gets our middle of the lineup guys to the plate more often, which is all positive for us. Nice job of hitting, all night long."

Escobar has played primarily at shortstop in his career, but with Desmond set at least for this season, the Nationals' plan was for Escobar to play second base. After infielder Anthony Rendon went down with a sprained knee, Williams decided to move Escobar to third.

Desmond was asked after the dramatic win what the charismatic Escobar has brought to the Nats in his first season with the club.

"Everything," he said. "He's really stepped up big for us. Selfless ... changing positions twice. Just grinding. He's a grinder. He's fun to have on the team and we all love him."