Fields hits 2 of White Sox’s 6 homers

CHICAGO (AP)—Josh Fields(notes) got what every baseball player who’s been sitting on the bench craves—a chance to play.

Breaking out of a slump while making a rare appearance in the Chicago White Sox’s starting lineup, Fields responded by hitting two of his team’s six homers Wednesday night in a 10-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“A much needed game,” Fields said. “We’ve been struggling at home and to come out of it and go off like that was good. Hopefully we didn’t get rid of all of it and saved some for tomorrow.”

Before his breakout Wednesday night, Fields had made just once start since June 8—four days after last year’s first-round pick, Gordon Beckham(notes), was called up and took over at third base.

Fields, who made just his third start of the season at first base Wednesday, has handled the demotion as well as he could, using the extra time to refine his swing with batting coach Greg Walker.

“The time off has given us a lot of time to do a lot of work,” Fields said. “Actually it’s nice to get out there—and I wouldn’t say produce—but see all the effects of the work you’ve been doing kind of come out.”

Fields entered the game in an 0 for 16 skid. He singled in his first at-bat, hit a two-run, tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning and added a solo shot in the fifth when the White Sox connected three times. He also earned another start in the series finale Thursday.

“It’s tough to sit on the bench for one game, let alone a week or two weeks and not really play and then come in and have a game like this,” said Chicago’s Paul Konerko(notes), who also homered on a hot summer night when the ball was jumping.

The White Sox built a 10-3 lead after scoring five times in the fifth, but the Dodgers cut the deficit to three on Matt Kemp’s(notes) three-run homer in the eighth off Jimmy Gobble(notes).

Gobble drilled Juan Pierre(notes) in the back with a pitch right shortly after Kemp’s homer and was replaced by Octavio Dotel(notes). Bobby Jenks(notes) pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances.

Entering the game with just a .217 batting average at home compared to .280 on the road, the White Sox finally showed some spark at U.S. Cellular Field. Another reserve, Jayson Nix(notes) also homered as did Alexei Ramirez(notes) and Jermaine Dye(notes).

Chicago’s six homers were one shy of the club record. The White Sox last hit six in a game on June 8, 2004, against the Phillies.

Gavin Floyd(notes) (5-5) gave up six hits and one earned run in six innings and got his first career win against the Dodgers in four starts.

Randy Wolf(notes) (3-3) allowed up three homers and had his shortest outing of the season, lasting just 3 1-3 innings.

“There is no way to candy-coat it. I stunk,” Wolf said. “It’s virtually impossible to look at yourself in the mirror and think you’re going to get big league hitters out when you’re hitting your spot 30 percent of the time. Frankly, I’m embarrassed with the way I pitched. … And when you’re awful, you deserve to get your teeth kicked in. And that’s what I got.”

Konerko hit a solo shot in the fifth off reliever Cory Wade(notes) to make it 6-3. And after singles by A.J. Pierzynski(notes) and Brian Anderson(notes), Nix delivered a three-run shot to deep left, his fifth of the season. Nix got the start against the left-hander Wolf in place of Chris Getz(notes).

James McDonald(notes) relieved Wade and after getting one out, he gave up Fields’ second homer of the game and third of the fifth inning.

Dye’s two-run homer made it 3-all in the third.

The Dodgers feasted on White Sox mistakes in a three-run second inning. Casey Blake(notes) walked and moved up on an infield out and scored on Mark Loretta’s(notes) RBI single. A walk to James Loney(notes) at the end of a 12-pitch at-bat and an error on Beckham loaded the bases.

Loretta scored on Pierzynski’s passed ball and Loney came home when Chicago shortstop Ramirez dropped Pierre’s liner for another error, making it 3-1.

Ramirez hit a solo homer in the first.

NOTES: Fields now has five homers this season. He hit 23 in 100 games in 2007. He now has three multihomer games in his career. … The Dodgers hadn’t surrendered six homers in a game since Aug. 2, 2001, against the Reds.