White Sox flash a ray of hope

White Sox starter John Danks acknowledges the fans after holding the Rays to seven hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings. (John gress/Reuters)

CHICAGO - If they were going down, they didn't want to do it like the Cubs, who were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

Chicago's Cubs were uptight for three games.

No such problem for its White Sox.

"We have a manager [Ozzie Guillen] who doesn't panic, a coaching staff that doesn't panic," said veteran center fielder Ken Griffey following a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday.

Many White Sox players predicted things would be different away from the dome and artificial grass of Tropicana Field.

For one game, anyway, in temperatures that dropped to the low 50s at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox made good on that promise in front of 40,142 hanky-waving fans in a game delayed 35 minutes at the outset because of rain.

The White Sox received strong pitching from John Danks, the lefty who saved the White Sox' season last Tuesday with a 1-0 win over the Twins in a one-game playoff for the AL Central title. Faced again with a sudden-death situation, Danks outdueled Rays starter Matt Garza, going 6 2/3 innings.

In the seventh, Danks allowed a two-run homer to B.J. Upton, then exited after Carlos Peña singled to right. Octavio Dotel replaced Danks and struck out Evan Longoria to end the inning.

The White Sox' free-spirited manner was evident: they stole three bases, two leading to runs.

"We took a page out of Tampa Bay's playbook," said White Sox left fielder Dewayne Wise, who went 1 for 2 with a two-run double in a three-run fourth inning that broke a 1-1 deadlock and sent the White Sox on their way. Wise also stole second after a third-inning walk, allowing A.J. Pierzynski to drive in the tying run.

"We were just trying to have fun, enjoy our fans and our ballpark and not be overly cautious and tight," said Wise. "I think we were able to do that and it showed in our play tonight."

Wise, hitting .400 in the playoffs with five RBIs (he hit a three-run homer in Game 1), has been in professional baseball since 1997. He hit .201 as a major leaguer in 183 games in stints with Toronto and Cincinnati before joining the White Sox.

"I had my contract and I was on my way to independent ball. These guys gave me a call and assigned me to minor league camp. I'd love to stay here, but that's something we'll talk about once the season is over," Wise said.

Wise, a lefthanded hitter, has knocked veteran Nick Swisher into a platoon in left field.

Guillen thought one of the biggest plays in the game came in the fourth. With the bases loaded, Alexei Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Jim Thome, who led off with a double. Paul Konerko (walk) and Griffey (single) also advanced, putting two runners in scoring position for Wise.

"To be honest, I thought Griffey cheated," said Guillen. "I never thought he went back to the bag. I thought that was a big, big play for us in that inning. Huge. I think it got everybody excited in the dugout to see those guys play the game the way it should be played. We've got to move people around, hit and run and try to steal some bases."

Wise seems to add that dimension, which is why Guillen has taken a liking to him.

"I think that's what we need as a team," said Wise. "We have a lot of guys who hit home runs. Every team needs a guy who can run to do the little things to help win and we showed that tonight."

Griffey entered the game possibly facing the end of his White Sox career. He agreed to a deal from Cincinnati so he could compete for a championship, but the White Sox were down, 2-0, in the series.

"You want to think that it's far from over," said Griffey. "We've been in so many of these backs-against-the wall situations and we've played hard and worked our way out of them. It's fun, though. If you don't get up for games, especially with so much on the line, you're not breathing. For me it's just baseball. I try not to think of it as being any different than the regular season or other seasons in my career."

White Sox closer Bobby Jenks preserved the lead in the ninth by striking out Peña on three pitches to earn the save with a runner on base.

The White Sox spotted the Rays a second-inning run on a beautifully-placed two-out bunt by Akinori Iwamura, which scored Dioner Navarro, who doubled to left with one out. "They're very good," said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon. "The way that guy [Danks] was throwing today I knew it was going to be tough. They've faced some difficult moments here in this ballpark and have done well. I liked the way we looked today. They beat us. That just happens, but they're good."

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.