Fields utilizes bat, speed for Fisher Cats

Roemon Fields gave the crowd something to cheer about with his bat and his legs Tuesday.

Toronto's No. 14 prospect smacked four hits and scored three runs -- one on a steal of home -- as Double-A New Hampshire beat Portland, 8-1.

Fields opened the home half of the first inning with a single to left field, later scoring on Jon Berti's groundout. The 25-year-old outfielder then singled to left in the third and beat out a single to short in the fifth. After his third single, Berti got aboard with a single and the pair executed a double steal, with Fields crossing the plate to give the Fisher Cats a 3-1 lead.

The Seattle native led off the sixth with another infield single to short, his third time in the game reaching base to open an inning. He struck out in the eighth to cap his night.

"I was sticking to the left side of the field," Fields said. "The six-hole, they were giving it to me all game. They were pitching it there and I was hitting it there, finding holes tonight."

It marked the second time in four games that he collected four hits, having gone 4-for-4 on May 7 against Hartford. In his last six Eastern League games, Fields has collected 11 hits, raising his average from .217 on May 4 to .263.

"I'm more comfortable," he said. "Baseball is an up-and-down sport. I feel like I'm getting back in a good groove. At times [I wasn't in a groove], but now I'm trying to get into a consistent one and I feel like I'm getting to that point."

Fields, who is tied for sixth in the league with 11 steals, is no stranger to swiping home, having last accomplished the feat on Sept. 4, 2015 while with the Fisher Cats.

"Jon Berti, on first, took off and then the catcher [Ali Solis], I thought he was gonna fake it," he said. "I was like, if he throws it through, it's gonna be safe. He threw it through and I just went. I had to slide in and I got in by a step.

"It doesn't happen a lot and when you're actually safe, it gets your adrenaline going."

Rowdy Tellez, the Blue Jays' No. 8 prospect, homered, drove in two runs and fell a triple short of the cycle. The three-hit game snapped an 0-for-12 slump for Tellez.

"He's looking like the Rowdy I know," Fields said. "He got the hits, he was confident. He came in today and said I'm gonna do it and he did it. He's getting back into a groove as well."

Jeremy Gabryszwski earned his first Double-A win, allowing a run on five hits while striking out five over six innings. Jason Berken gave up one hit and fanned two over the final three frames for his first save.

Tzu-Wei Lin doubled in a run for the Sea Dogs.