Williams makes All-Star case for Escobar; light practice for Zimmerman

After sitting out last night and missing two of the last four games, shortstop Ian Desmond returns to the lineup as the Nationals look to claim their second straight series win tonight.

"I just wanted to give him a rest and let him clear out and get back at it," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "So he did a lot of work in the cage yesterday. He did all the defensive drills early that we did yesterday. So he's ready to go. Back in there."

Desmond, who owns hitting streaks of 10 and 13 games this season, is mired in a 10-for-74 (.135) slump over his last 20 contests. Over that stretch, Desmond has watched his batting average submarine to .222, lowest among active everyday players on the Nationals.

Playing to Desmond's right, Yunel Escobar is having arguably the best season of his nine-year career. Bolstered by three five-hit games, Escobar's robust .325 batting average is fourth best in the National League. Despite starting 61 of his 64 games played at third base, Escobar finds himself on the NL All-Star ballot as a second baseman, the position the Nationals anticipated him playing after acquiring him in a trade with Oakland in January.

Currently, Bryce Harper is the only Nationals player in line to be voted into the Midsummer Classic on July 14 in Cincinnati. Escobar ranks fifth in the fan vote at second base, but Williams believes his third baseman should be there.

"I think Yunel has had a fantastic first half," Williams. "Yunel has played really well in a position he hasn't played before, which comes with some pressure when you first start doing it. Nonetheless, he's been our two or three hitter the majority of the season. He's played well. He's well over .300, he's doing things that he wants to do. He's played very well for us. If he's in a different spot in the lineup, the numbers are different of course. But I think he's made a great case."

Across the diamond, Ryan Zimmerman did some infield work at first base prior to tonight's game. It was the first time Zimmerman practiced with his team since landing on the 15-day disabled list with plantar fasciitis in his left foot on June 10.

"He got his orthotics, a custom made pair of orthotics to deal with the plantar fasciitis issue," Williams said. "It feels good. Yesterday, he was 15 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk walk, just to make sure it's feeling OK. He'll continue to do that today and we'll progress him from there to jogging and running, swinging. He's taken some dry swings, but nothing serious yet. Then grounders, then games and back at it."

After fighting to get his batting average up to a season-high .248 on May 15, Zimmerman went on a slide over the next 19 games, hitting just .129 (9-for-70) before ending up on the DL.

"For right now, he's making good progress. The pressure on the plantar fascia is being reduced with those orthotics. He's feeling better about it," Williams said. "The fact he could get on a treadmill yesterday is important. Once he feels better and he's ready to go, it's a question of baseball shape at that point. He can wear them all the time. It's a custom-made piece he can wear all the time for baseball if he wants. I've had it. Any player that's ever had it, it's painful and it just doesn't seem to ever go away. This apparatus will help him get over the hump to where he'll be able to play again."

The Nationals are mourning the death of Kimberly Knorr, the wife of bench coach Randy Knorr.

"Yesterday was a sad day around here," Williams said. "It was a rough day for everybody. The coaching staff knew early. We addressed the players yesterday afternoon. We are a family, and anytime you lose a member of that family, it's a long day. All of us know Kimberly very well. She was a vital part of our efforts in spring training, especially with the Wheelchairs 4 Kids, and had fantastic support from the team. So all of the guys know her personally. It's tragic news. We will lift Randy as much as we can from afar for now, and when he gets back, we'll support him as much as we can as well. It's never easy to lose one of your family."

Nationals defensive coordinator Mark Weidemaier assumes the bench coaching duties until Knorr returns.