" For the second straight day, manager Joe Maddon did some early one-on-one work with struggling 1B Carlos Peña on the field, saying he wanted to show his support and share some ideas.

Turns out, it paid off.

Peña, who entered Tuesday hitting .198, had a solo homer in the fourth inning, his 28th of the season and first since Sept. 14. He said he really appreciated Maddon taking the time to help "me feel a little better at the plate."

"A lot of what's going on with Carlos, a lot of it has to do with just confidence, self-confidence," Maddon said. "And what I've been doing specifically is trying to help build that area, talking about some different drills that I had done years ago."

Maddon said part of what he went over with Peña was "getting ready earlier" in his swing. "And if he does, making better decisions, whether to swing or not and hopefully putting a charge on the ball.""