Dodgers Get By With the Help of Ashley’s Friends : Baseball: Visitors calm down left fielder, and he entertains them with two homers in 12-5 victory over Chicago.

Dodger left fielder Billy Ashley was in no mood for company. If vacation plans hadn’t been arranged months ago, he would have told his father and friends from Michigan to stay home.

It was nothing personal, but when you’re going through the most miserable time of your career, sitting in a dark hotel room and eating a cold cheeseburger can seem more appealing than talking baseball with high school buddies.

Ashley, not wanting to be rude, played the role of host. Much to his surprise, he had a wonderful time Friday night.

He strolled into the clubhouse Saturday morning in good spirits, felt much of his stress relieved and went out and hit two home runs in the Dodgers’ 12-5 rout of the Chicago Cubs in front of a season-high 36,310 at Wrigley Field.

It was the Ashley’s first two-homer game and the Dodgers’ most lopsided victory since May 6. The Dodgers (23-25) had 18 hits, their second-highest total this season, and Mike Piazza, Eric Karros and Raul Mondesi also hit home runs. Dodger rookie infielder Chad Fonville, who came on when Delino DeShields was injured in the first inning, had four hits, helping Ramon Martinez (7-4) with the easy victory.

Little wonder that Ashley, who left 13 tickets on the pass list, has a little favor to ask his guests:

“Would you guys mind driving down to St. Louis next week? It’s kind of nice having y’all around.”

“I think I just became was so sick and tired of the pressure that was on me,” Ashley said, “where I finally said, ‘Just swing the bat.’

“The thing I was thinking about was not striking out. And that’s the last thing you want to be thinking about at the plate. If I strike out, I strike out. So what?”

Ashley struck out twice--raising his total to 54 in 127 at-bats--but for the first time in a month he had the type of game Manager Tom Lasorda has awaited.

Ashley was a prominent topic Saturday morning in Lasorda’s impromptu staff meeting, and the consensus was that if his struggles lasted much longer, the Dodgers would have to seriously consider finding a replacement.

“It’s not a question of a lack of ability, but he’s been his own worst enemy because of the way he fights himself,” Lasorda said. “That’s been one of his many problems. We’ve been waiting and waiting for him.”

Ashley, who hit 63 homers and drove in 205 runs the last two seasons at triple-A Albuquerque, was projected to show at least some of that power for the Dodgers. Instead, he batted .177 the last four weeks without a home run and with only three RBIs.

Lasorda finally benched him during the three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and if Ashley showed no improvement in the Cub series, he could have expected that seat to await him in St. Louis.

Those plans changed when he hit a homer into the left-field bleachers in the fifth inning, his first since May 19. He followed it with a 440-foot blast off Chris Nabholz in the seventh inning that cleared the bleachers and landed on Waveland Avenue.

“I don’t know where it went, to tell you the truth,” Ashley said. “I just threw the bat down and ran.

“When you hit one off the sweet part of the bat, and connect perfectly, it’s like a missile. It’s fun, a little bit of an ego thing.”

Said Lasorda: “Those are the kinds of things we expected from him with the credentials he brought in.”

The Dodgers can only hope this was the game that will catapult Ashley’s confidence. Certainly, Lasorda and the coaching staff are doing their part.

Ashley, batting .244 with six homers and 17 RBIs, realized the significance of his game. After all, it was the first time since May 15 that Lasorda permitted him to play an entire game during a Dodger victory without being pulled for defensive reasons.

“What he brings to this lineup is his offense. That’s the reason he’s here,” Karros said. “This could do wonders for his confidence.

“Now he knows he’s at least capable of doing some damage up here. I’ve been telling him to quit worrying. I talked to him about Matt Williams, how he got sent back down his first year. But by the same token, you can’t keep talking to him.

“Eventually, he’s got to do it himself.”