Guillen says he's ready for Boston

When the Red Sox visited U.S. Cellular Field last August for a four-game series against the White Sox, they put a new spin on the Boston Massacre.

Not only did the Red Sox sweep the White Sox, they outscored them 46-7.

Unfortunately, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen remembers the series.

"That was ugly," Guillen said. "That was embarrassing. It was like kids playing against big-leaguers. We looked bad. We had a real bad ballclub. We had real bad pitching and they were the opposite.

"I never remember, I never think in my career, 'Wow, I can't wait until this game is over.' Then, I couldn't wait until that series was over. It was pretty awful."

The White Sox have played much better this season, and Boston is running second in the AL East despite playing poorly (26-33) on the road.

"To win this thing, you have to beat the best," Guillen said. "We are playing pretty good baseball and I will take my chances with them."

The Red Sox traded Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers last week, but new left fielder Jason Bay has played well since arriving in Boston from Pittsburgh. In 6 games, Bay is batting .423 with 1 homer, 6 RBI and 10 runs scored.

"I would rather face Bay 25 times, with all my respect to Bay, than face Manny 20," Guillen said. "Manny is Manny. Maybe Mr. Bay comes out and hits 20 home runs in one week. But I would rather face Bay than Manny."

Fall of Fields: Josh Fields was on the bench for the sixth straight game Thursday.

Since coming up from Class AAA Charlotte on July 25, initially to spell injured third baseman Joe Crede, Fields is batting .182. His 2 errors and limited range are more of a concern to manager Ozzie Guillen.

"All the work Joey Cora put in with him in spring training, all of a sudden he comes back here and we don't see that," Guillen said. "Right now, he's not in there because I feel more comfortable catching the ball and not having more offense."

Not only is Crede dealing with a bad back, he's also eligible for free agency at the end of the season. Fields hasn't shown much since being recalled, but Guillen said he's still in the White Sox' future plans.

"He is," Guillen said. "But we need him to step it up and be better in the field."

Slow go: Injured reliever Scott Linebrink (sore shoulder) was hoping to be back in mid-August, but he still hasn't been able to throw off the mound.

"It's slow right now," Linebrink said. "We're hoping to keep progressing, but again, we're trying to listen to the body. We don't want to let it get to a point where it's a step back."