So far, dynamic Yunel Escobar is a big hit

Instability is one way to describe infielder Yunel Escobar's career. But barely two weeks into his fifth major league stop, the nine-year veteran has arguably been the most reliable of all of the Nationals.

After squandering a one-run lead in the ninth against the Cardinals, Escobar bailed the Nats out with one swing of the bat, launching a solo homer to leftfor a 2-1 walk-off victory in the 10th inning last night.

Most players round third and toss their helmet, maybe jump on the plate as their teammates mob them. But Escobar plays the game with far more flair than the normal big leaguer. So as the Nationals surrounded the plate awaiting to embrace their new teammate, Escobar spontaneously made a headfirst dive for it, sliding in safely about 30 seconds after he had secured his team's seventh win of the season.

"You have to be out there and have fun, enjoy the game," said catcher Wilson Ramos. "That's the game. You have to enjoy every moment, every second. That's baseball."

Escobar certainly plays baseball with emotion. Just watching him step to the plate is entertaining, as he constantly twirls his bat and waves his hands at pitches, helping the umpire with every the call. In the field, he's as still as a 2-year-old, with nonstop gesturing to the crowd or the opposing team's dugout while shuffling around in the dirt throughout an inning.

"He's more of the Cuban flavor that we're all missing," said last night's starter, Gio Gonzalez. "I was 50 percent of that. He's the full percentage. I think he's just exciting. He's got life to him. Teammates love him here. He's just a different ballplayer. It just seems like he's more than happy, more than welcome to be here. We're treating him like he's been here for five, six years already."

The newcomer who brought plenty of questions with him seems to have already gained the trust of some of the team's most grizzled veterans in the clubhouse.

"I've been playing this game a long time," left fielder Jayson Werth said. "There's many different ways to play it. Some of the guys from the Latin countries, they play a different style of baseball, but in the end he plays the right way. He plays hard. He plays to win. That's all that matters to me."

Escobar, 32, came up with the Braves in 2007 when the 35-year-old Werth was playing in Philadelphia.

"He's a lot more polished now than I remember him when he was younger," said Werth. "He takes a good at-bat. He's got a good approach. He's a hard worker, when you see a guy in the clubhouse versus across the field it's totally different. He's been a great addition. He's been a big part of the team so far."

Coming off a subpar year, Tampa Bay traded Escobar to Oakland this offseason, but he never evened breathed the Bay Area air before the A's turned around and shipped him to the nation's capital for popular reliever Tyler Clippard.

Nats general manager Mike Rizzo made the move in hopes of having Escobar bring some pop to second base, where the team had struggled to get consistent offensive production. Escobar, a career shortstop, wasn't thrilled about the idea of learning a new position when he was clued in on the Nats' objectives behind the trade. It took some convincing, but when Escobar showed up for spring training, he began working overtime at second base, where he had only played 21 games previously, all in his 2007 rookie season.

When third baseman Anthony Rendon went down with a sprained left knee, and after Escobar returned from his own nagging oblique strain, Nationals manager Matt Williams shifted Escobar back to his familiar side of the diamond. Escobar became the Nats' starting third baseman on opening day and has performed adequately there in his 12 games. He's also occupied three spots in the batting order, including hitting leadoff four times. Escobar, known as a contact hitter, is batting .277 with two homers, two doubles and two RBIs, while only striking out four times in 47 at-bats so far.

"(He brings) stability, in more ways than one," said Williams. "He's played second, he's played third. He would play anywhere we ask him to. And he understands the game. He understands when to take a chance and when we need just a base hit."

"It's calm and it's collected. He's a good hitter, he's a good fielder. Does a lot of things well for us. And he came out of tonight healthy, which is a good sign for us."

Rendon has finally returned to game action and figures to rejoin the club sometime next week after a minor league rehab assignment. Williams indicated yesterday that Rendon should see reps at both second and third bases during his games in the minors.

Would Williams leave Escobar at third as opposed to having him move to unfamiliar territory at second base? Or will Rizzo stick to his reasons for trading the reliable Clippard?

It's something to watch for over the next week.