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Detroit Tigers' Lloyd McClendon takes blames for offense; players say that's not fair

Detroit Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, a veteran player, coach and manager at the major league level, knows this: Batters don’t make outs on purpose.

With the Tigers' offense struggling – ranking at or near the bottom of most offensive categories in baseball – McClendon said there are times when his frustrations boil over, too.

“I catch myself, just like anybody else, saying, ‘What the heck?’” McClendon said before Wednesday’s game. “I’d rather (the fans) blame me and take pressure off the players.

“It’s a difficult game and it’s really fast at this level. In all my history, all my time in this game, I’ve never seen a player go to the plate and purposely make an out.