Williams breaks down Nats' offensive struggles

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Nationals' offense continued its struggles in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Giants.

After Yunel Escobar led off with his third leadoff home run of the season, the Nationals were shut out the rest of the game. They collected four more hits after Escobar's homer, but couldn't find the big hit when necessary.

In that first inning, for example, they had the bases loaded with two outs off Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, but Wilson Ramos grounded out to second, ending the threat.

Three innings later, Washington had runners on first and third with one out, but Michael Taylor popped up to second and then Kelby Tomlison and Stephen Strasburg struck out to end the inning.

After the game, manager Matt Williams appeared frustrated. He said the team is a letting a lot of fastballs go by.

"I think, for the most part, we are not even swinging at [the fastballs]. We need to swing at the fastball. ... It may be the first pitch of the at-bat. You never know," Williams said. "If you get to swing at the fastball, we need to do that."

Since the All-Star break, the Nationals are hitting .224 with a .295 on base percentage and Williams hinted that he may make changes to the lineup on Friday against the Giants.

"We can make some changes. We want opportunities for our guys. We had some in the first inning and that one base hit didn't happen," Williams said. "But none of the less, we have to stay aggressive throughout the game. If we are off the fastball, we need to take [a swing at it]."

Shortstop Ian Desmond has a way for the Nationals to get out of their second half slump, and it's not about changing hitting mechanics. It's about being patient.

"The only way to get out of it is believe in yourself, believe in the team. I think everyone is on that same [page]." Desmond said.