Williams on Desmond's durability, Span, Taylor and Escobar

With all the injuries the Nationals have had to deal with this season, one constant in the lineup has been starting shortstop Ian Desmond. He was given a day off here and there because his offensive game wasn't as consistent in the first half of the season, but any nagging nicks and bruises never prevented him from missing any time.

The rest of the projected starting infield has not been so fortunate. Anthony Rendon (left knee sprain), Yunel Escobar (hand) and Ryan Zimmerman (foot) have all missed time due to various injuries, most of which have landed them on the disabled list.

Desmond has played 123 games so far this season. In 2013, he played 158. Last season, he reached 154 games. In 2010 and 2011, he also played in 154 games.

Desmond struggled through the first half of the season at the plate and then he was energized after talking with Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. about how to view slumps and get through them.

Ripken, the all-time leader in consecutive games played (2,632), told Desmond that he had a season where he struggled to hit around .200 at the beginning and then was able to turn it around in the second half of the season. That talk with Ripken energized Desmond and he started to hit again.

It is easy to see how Desmond in some ways emulates Ripken as far as taking care of his body and being careful to manage his rest. He works to maintain his strength through a rigorous six months of games that are played almost every day.

Manager Matt Williams was asked to explain why Desmond has been so durable and other players have had unfortunate injuries this season.

"I don't know if he does anything different than other guys," Williams said. "For Ian, he loves to play. He's been really good since the All-Star break. Those four days off were really good for him and he's been extremely productive for us since the break.

"I just know that he's in good physical condition. I think you can look at our guys this year and say there was some fluky things that happened. Some things that conditioning is not going to make a difference one way or another. I think he loves to play, wants to be in there every day, prepares for that, that's why he's durable and he has had longevity like that."

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With Denard Span's visit to the clubhouse during pregame today, Williams was asked about the leadoff man's legacy with the Nationals and his importance to the club the last three seasons.

"(He has accomplished) a lot," Williams said. "Last year, he set the franchise record for hits. Was an integral part of success. He's just had a frustrating winter and season this year. But he's got to get it fixed and be ready to play again. Nobody knows future and what's going to happen beyond this season for him, but he needs to get it fixed and be healthy again ready to play."

Span is scheduled to undergo hip surgery Tuesday and is out for the rest of the season. It is a four-to-six month recovery.
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Williams said they decided to give Michael A. Taylor (right knee) and Escobar (right hand) a day off.

Williams said Taylor is closer to playing and is available to play tonight, but they decided to give him another day of rest.

"He's going to be the bulk of playing time certainly moving forward with Denard's absence," Williams said. "We want to be sure that he's ready. We'll give him one more day. He's available off the bench for us tonight.

"Yunel has done some hitting, so he'll continue to get treatment and loosen up prior to game time and see where he's at."