One problem manager Ozzie Guillen has never had is throwing his players under the bus.
And while he didn't come out and name names, it's obvious he isn't happy with his lineup's strikeout numbers, specifically those of third baseman Josh Fields. Following a loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, Guillen said, "We strike out too much. Too much strikeouts. Game on the line, we strike out. People on base, we strike out. Lead off inning, we strike out. We got to cut that. That's a big part of the game. You put the ball in play, you got a better chance. We really strike out too much."
He mentioned Jim Thome's name but quickly pointed out that a high strikeout total is to be expected from Thome.
"Even the guys who strike out ... We got people who strike out more than Jimmy (Thome)," Guillen said. "That's a little embarrassing if you strike out more than Jim Thome, because Jim has one way. He's not going to be on base 300 times, 150 strikeouts, 150 walks. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. Some guys aren't going to be Hall of Famers. They strike out too much and they have to be better."
Thome has 33 strikeouts. Fields has 39 and is on pace to have 168 by the end of the season.
