"Right fielder Jermaine Dye hasn't finished his last three games to protect a sore left calf and manager Ozzie Guillen is considering giving Dye a rest Friday night when the White Sox play in Cincinnati.

"Hopefully, with a day off, he'll feel better, but we're going by ear," Guillen said. "We gave him back-to-back days off [Sunday and Monday], and that didn't help him. I have to be careful with him. If Dye goes down, [Carlos] Quentin is already down, and it will be tough on us."

Guillen still plans to start backup Ramon Castro to catch Jose Contreras.

Fans' spirit lives on: The spirit of the White Sox-Cubs rivalry made up for the fact that there were a few noticeable empty seats at the Wednesday and Thursday games.

"I hear a lot of booing and 'Ozzie sucks," Guillen said. "No matter who comes to this place, it's going to be rough. No matter who is playing, how they're playing, this crowd always is into the game. They enjoy it." Castro, who played four seasons for the New York Mets, rated the rivalry about the same as the Yankees-Mets competition.

"There's a little more energy in those games," Castro said. "That's going to happen. Whether it's Chicago or New York, everyone wants to be No. 1 in those cities. That's why it's big."

Based on the reaction of Wednesday's crowd, Castro thought the Cubs fans might be a little crazier.

"When Cubs fans lose, they get mad, people drink and fight," Castro said. "It's part of the game. That's why baseball is beautiful.""