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History Must Wait For Rays After 5-3 Loss

Carl Crawford reacts after striking out in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the ALDS in Chicago.

Tribune Photo by CHRIS URSO

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By MARC LANCASTER

mlancaster@tampatrib.com

Published: October 6, 2008

CHICAGO - Pitching kept the Rays from wrapping up a sweep of the White Sox on Sunday.

On one side, Matt Garza was far from his sharpest, failing to make the pitch he needed to on more than one occasion and paying for it against a veteran Chicago lineup. On the other, John Danks had his way with Tampa Bay's hitters most of the way as he won an elimination game for the second time in less than a week.

After a 5-3 loss cut their series lead to 2-1, the Rays were left to hope they can close things out today instead of sending it back to Tropicana Field for a winner-take-all game Wednesday night. But no concern was evident following the setback.

"Right now, I feel like we're still in the driver's seat," B.J. Upton said. "It's going to take us one, and they still have to win two. So I kind of like our odds."

Upton provided about the only fireworks the Rays could muster against Danks, the tough lefty who got the White Sox into the playoffs by smothering the Twins in a one-game playoff Tuesday night. He allowed a run in the second when Akinori Iwamura beat out an infield hit with two outs to score Dioner Navarro, but locked the Rays down from that point until Upton launched a two-run homer with two out in the seventh.

That 411-foot drive only served to make things a bit more interesting, though, as the White Sox already had extracted enough from Garza to build a comfortable lead.

The right-hander watched three of the four batters he walked come around to score, and he became the latest Rays pitcher to get touched up by Dewayne Wise. The journeyman outfielder, who hit a three-run homer off James Shields in Game 1, produced a two-run double in the fourth Sunday to give the White Sox all the momentum they needed.

"Tonight, I had a lack of execution, I didn't do my job," Garza said. "The team gave me the three runs I needed, and it's all on me."

Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227.

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