Giants blasted by manager

Manager Frank Robinson of the San Francisco Giants, his frustration showing, has popped off about his team's lack of aggressiveness, especially at the plate.

Why Robinson chose to go public with his criticism, rather than handle it within the privacy of his own clubhouse, is not known. But historically, most club owners take this to mean that their manager has lost contact with his players and start to think about a change.

Robinson told a West Coast newspaper, ''We have a lot of guys who talk about hustling, about doing the little things that win games, and about playing fundamental baseball, but they just don't perform.

''We don't have more than two guys here who are really fighters, guys who will force a pitcher to throw strikes, take an extra base, or drop a bunt to get things going. Joe Morgan can do that and maybe one or two others. But Jack Clark , if he's not on top of his game, can't help you. I'm not putting him down, but Clark's whole game is his hitting.''

If Robinson is on shaky ground, so is Manager Don Zimmer of the Texas Rangers , who seems to win only on those days when Charlie Hough's knuckleball is finding the strike zone. At one point recently the Rangers had lost 20 of their last 24 games.