Williams on second base rotation, Zimmerman, Soriano and more

Since losing third baseman/outfielder Ryan Zimmerman last Tuesday to a hamstring injury, Nationals manager Matt Williams has started Danny Espinosa, Zach Walters and Kevin Frandsen at second base. Espinosa has started three of the five games despite sporting a .214 average this season. He will also start tonight's series opener in Miami after picking up one hit in Sunday's win over the Reds. "I just like the way Danny played yesterday," Williams told reporters in Miami. "He hit three balls right on the button and he's seeing it. Yesterday was a lot calmer at the plate, so I like that. We certainly appreciate his defense as well. The fact that he played well yesterday, he feels good about it so I put him in the lineup today." Williams will decide on a day-by-day basis who will be manning second base. "We look at match-ups, we look at potentials. (Espinosa) played really well yesterday, so we want to give him another opportunity to do so. "It's a daily thing and it's going to be a daily thing. If we get to point where somebody gets hot, we will certainly ride the hot hand of course. But we still have to look at it day-by-day on who's going to play out there and what the best potential for that guy is that day." With Zimmerman out, the Nationals find themselves a bit short handed in the infield. Currently, Frandsen is the Nats' only backup option at first base. Williams talked about how well center fielder Denard Span has played during the month of July. Span is hitting .375 and has a .457 on base percentage during the month. "I just think he's seeing the ball good. Anytime a player goes on a hitting streak, they're seeing it good," Williams said. "That's an indication of him being calm and at ease at the plate, certainly letting the ball travel. We've seen a lot of balls go the other way - that's an indication of him waiting, having confidence to wait on the baseball and go the other way which in turn allows him to see it longer. If he sees something that's not in the zone, he's been taking them. Those are all just really good things - especially from your leadoff guy. It's good anywhere, but especially from the guy who sets your offense in motion. He's played really well." Closer Rafael Soriano reached a personal milestone on Sunday picking up the 200th save of his career. It was also Soriano's 25th save of the season, In his first year managing the Nats, Williams has admired Soriano's demeanor on the mound. "It's pretty impressive. It speaks to longevity," Williams said of Soriano's milestone. "Certainly you have to be healthy enough to get there. It speaks to the fact that he knows what he wants to do when he steps on the field regardless of whether it was in New York when he was the eighth inning guy or closing in Tampa, or closing here. "I just appreciate the fact that he really pays attention to the baseball game for the first eight innings. ... He actually is concerned with how they are swinging in that particular game. He will adjust his game plan depending on how they are doing in the first eight innings before he even faces them." The Nats manager had no update on Zimmerman. The Nats third baseman/outfielder was scheduled to have his injured right hamstring examined today. "He's got a pulled hammy and he's not doing anything strength wise at this point, so it's just kind of a checkup," Williams said. "There's not much to report because he's not really doing anything." Williams was hoping to have an update on Zimmerman following the game or tomorrow.