Crede scratched with stiff back

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Shaw Newspapers CHICAGO - White Sox third baseman Joe Crede said Wednesday that he is day-to-day after feeling stiffness in his back during batting practice Tuesday. While in the cage before Tuesday's game against Texas, Crede said he felt something in his back and wanted to take things slowly for a few days. He was scratched from Tuesday's lineup late, and Juan Uribe played third Tuesday and Wednesday. “All I know is that it feels better today than it did yesterday,” Crede said Wednesday. “I felt it was better to take a step back. It just wasn't getting loose. It can lead to much worse things [and] I would rather take a step back than keep pushing it and sit out much longer.” It is the second time this season Crede has had problems with his back, which he had surgery to repair last season. The Sox are off Thursday and Crede hopes that the day of rest will mean he can start Friday in Detroit. The three-game series against the Tigers is important to the Sox because they are clinging to the first-place spot in the AL Central by 2 1/2 games. The Tigers are on a four-game winning streak and in third place; Minnesota, which has lost four in a row, is in second place. “Any time you play teams in your own division, they are always big games,” Crede said. “We realize that. We have a big task at hand on the road, with tough places to win in Detroit and Minnesota. It will be fun to see what we can do up there.” Meanwhile, manager Ozzie Guillen doesn't seem concerned about Crede's back, noting that he appreciated Crede's honesty. “He's honest with me and he's honest with his teammates,” Guillen said. “We know that these things are going to happen but Š we're pleased with the way he's been playing right now.” Too many mistakes By the sixth inning Wednesday, the Sox had committed four errors, a new single-game high this year. The Sox committed three errors in a single game three times this season, and coincidentally committed three during the final game of their previous series against the Rangers on July 13. Lucky against Texas Jim Thome launched a three-run shot in the first inning against the Rangers on Wednesday, keeping in step with his traditionally solid performances against Texas. Thome is 20-for-36 with eight home runs, 16 RBIs and 17 walks in 12 games against the Rangers since 2007.