Guillen has solution to tough road ahead

Ozzie Guillen isn't a meteorologist, and he doesn't play one on TV.

But the White Sox manager has a long-term forecast he'd like to see come to fruition for his team once this rain event ends and all the lost games - like the pair against Detroit that were postponed Saturday - are made up toward the end of the season.

"Just be up by 4 games at the end of the season and then you don't have to play those games," Guillen said after watching the third game in two days get postponed. "That's easy; you're up by 4 games, you don't have to play. Just do it."

Easier said than done.

More likely this spate of postponements is going to cause a nightmare scenario for almost every team in the playoff hunt, and the Sox are no exception.

"This will give us a little more rest, but you can go either way. I mean, maybe we have some rest right now, but at the end of the season it might be tough because we've got to play doubleheaders and all this stuff," Guillen said.

"You don't know how many doubleheaders we're going to play; you don't know what's going to happen. It's something you have to be aware of - not right now, but maybe next week."

If the weather cooperates, the Sox and the Tigers will play a split doubleheader today, with the first game at 1:05 p.m. and the regularly scheduled contest at 7:05 p.m.

Javier Vazquez, who was scheduled to start in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, will face Justin Verlander in today's matinee. John Danks will go against Kenny Rogers in the nightcap.

"I don't know if it's good or bad because I changed my program to pitch on three days' rest, not four days'," Vazquez said. "But my arm feels good today and it will feel good tomorrow, so no big deal."

What if today's games are -

"It will feel good Monday, too," he said. "But hopefully we can get both games in."

Fans with tickets to Saturday's 2:55 p.m. game may use those tickets for today's first game, or they may exchange those tickets for upper-level tickets to any home game in April 2009 (excluding Opening Day).

Unfortunately for all involved, today's forecast isn't so rosy, what with the remnants of Hurricane Ike scheduled to make an appearance.

"It's not going to be any better," Guillen said. "It's something I don't worry about because I can't control that. If its going to be bad then we'll see how that plays out.

"It's not something the players should be concerned or worried about because they have to take it one game at a time and hopefully it'll work out for the best."

Nick Swisher wasn't too concerned. "I'm ready to go home and sleep and watch (Ohio State) play," he said. "I don't think anybody's worried about anything. It's Mother Nature - you can't do anything about it."