Call it desperation. Call it a hunch. Call it a calculated gamble. Whatever you want to call it, the lineup card Matt Williams filled out Tuesday in Colorado was unlike any he had attached his signature to since becoming manager of the Nationals last year.
Jayson Werth, owner of a .261 on-base percentage (.203 in 19 games since coming off the disabled list), leading off? Yunel Escobar, owner of fewer home runs in 1,179 career games than Bryce Harper owns in 467 career games, hitting cleanup?
Hey, why not? What exactly did Williams have to lose at this point by trying something completely different?