Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond is 0-for-13 to begin the season, but the team won't ask him to alter his approach at the plate. Desmond hit .326 while batting in the second spot in the order for Washington last year. "He is not a prototypical leadoff guy, because he has a chance to hit the ball into the gap or hit home runs," hitting coach Rick Eckstein said. "We don't want him taking good pitches and all that stuff. We want him to be more of the hitter that he is. He hasn't put his swing on the ball for the last two games, but he is showing signs that he is getting it back. "Ian is so dynamic. I don't want to take that away from him. We don't want to put handcuffs on him all the time and say, 'OK, you have to work the count.' He has a chance to be dynamic with his bat. If we keep putting handcuffs on him, some of that stuff may not play to his advantage."