WASHINGTON -- Unlike most cliches, the one Bruce Bochy used Friday to describe the Giants' ongoing woes didn't sound tired. Given the Giants' confounding offensive struggles and fading status as World Series champions, the manager's words instead were packed with urgency.
"Hitting is contagious, and so is not hitting," Bochy said after the Giants' 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals. "Right now we have a serious virus in the lineup."
The malady is so widespread that making a couple of lineup changes or shuffling the batting order isn't guaranteed to have much impact. As Bochy pointed out, moving center fielder Aaron Rowand, one of the Giants' few competent hitters, into a run-producing slot is self-defeating. Because who would reach base to create run-scoring opportunities?
Statistics illustrating the Giants' problems abound. They've posted a .208 batting average (54-for-260) while losing six of their last eight games. They've averaged 2.4 runs per game in this stretch and rank 14th in scoring among National League clubs. They haven't homered in 43 innings, dating back to Buster Posey's long ball in last Sunday's series finale against Atlanta.
Nevertheless, Bochy knew he can't sit idly.
"We'll probably tweak the lineup a little bit," he said after Washington's Jason Marquis recorded his first shutout since June 30, 2009, with a five-hitter and bested luckless Tim Lincecum, who pitched seven capable innings.
Bochy's likely to start by dropping No. 3 hitter Aubrey Huff in the order. Huff is batting .202, including .154 (10-for-65) with 12 strikeouts against right-handed pitching. This is the same Huff that led the World Series-winning Giants in numerous offensive categories last year.
"We've got a lot of guys who are frustrated right now," Bochy said. Asked if Huff tops that list, Bochy responded affirmatively. "He puts a lot on his shoulders. He has to back off a little bit. Sometimes less is more."
That described the Giants' performance against Marquis (3-0), who's a decent but not elite pitcher. They could not coax a single walk from the right-hander, who permitted just two runners to reach scoring position.
"We're up there waling at first-pitch sliders and trying to do too much instead of making him work and getting his pitch count up," right fielder Cody Ross said.
Ross said that he and the other Giants constantly discuss the proper strategies to use against opposing pitchers. But, he added, "you can only talk so much. You have to go out and do it."
Pitching without an offense doomed Lincecum (2-3) to possess a losing record for the first time since he lost his first decision in 2009. He followed by winning his next six decisions.
Lincecum demonstrated excellent command while walking none and striking out seven in seven innings. But the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner maintained his perfectionist attitude.
"I threw too many strikes with two-strike counts," Lincecum said. "I gave them too many good pitches to hit when I got ahead."
This occurred in the second inning, when Laynce Nix walloped a 1-2 changeup into the right-field seats for a two-run homer.
"It just started middle and stayed middle," Lincecum said of the fateful pitch. "If I would have maybe thrown off the black and made it fade away, it would have been a better pitch. I should have known better. He's a low-ball hitter. I should have buried it or thrown it off the plate."
Said a grateful Nix, "That was the first time I faced Tim and I was fortunate to get a pitch over the plate I could handle. He's a great pitcher, no question about that. He's got great stuff that is tough to pick up. He had good stuff tonight."
Nix's long ball followed a one-out double by Wilson Ramos, who hit a 3-2 pitch directly between Rowand and Ross. Rowand caught the ball but dropped it when he and Ross collided slightly.
"It hit both of our gloves," Rowand said. "I had my glove on top. It was in my glove and when our bodies hit each other, it knocked the ball out. It was one of those in-between balls. There's nothing you could do about it."
The same could have been said about Marquis' fifth-inning RBI single. Ian Desmond singled leading off, stole second base and came home on Marquis' improbable hit -- a line drive to right field that he produced by hacking at a shoulder-high 0-2 pitch.
"I don't know how he put the bat on it. More power to him, I guess," Lincecum said. "Give him credit. He's a good hitter, and he has a good eye, especially for a pitcher. I wanted to [pitch high] and I think it just found his bat."
The Giants are longing for that kind of happy coincidence.
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