Los Angeles @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 7, 2010 ) LA Angels 2, Chi. White Sox 5

It was starting pitching that was supposed to carry the Chicago White Sox this season – but now they'll be forced to do without a key member of their starting rotation for a while.

The White Sox face another day without Jake Peavy as they go for a sweep of a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday.

One of the hottest teams in baseball over the past month, Chicago has played its way back into contention in the American League Central due mainly to the thing that was supposed to carry them all along – starting pitching. Peavy was a huge part of that surge, turning his season around in June with a 1.75 ERA and a .194 batting average against in five starts.

He looked like he was starting his July off in much the same manner against the Angels on Tuesday until he pulled up lame in the second inning, walking straight off the mound with an apparent injury. Chicago announced after the game that it was a back strain, but tests on Wednesday revealed a detatched lat muscle that had torn completely away from the bone.

The injury could require season-ending surgery, leaving the White Sox without one of their most dangerous pitchers the rest of the way.

Jeff Marquez was called up from Triple-A to fill Peavy’s spot on the roster, though prospect Dan Hudson will likely be taking Peavy’s spot in the rotation.

The shock of Peavy’s loss did not seem to hurt on Wednesday, when Freddy Garcia kept the string of great starting performances alive by allowing just an unearned run while striking out six in six innings. Paul Konerko and Brent Lillibridge drove in two each in the 5-2 win.

The White Sox held strong after Peavy left Tuesday’s game as well, getting a career-high 4 1/3 innings of relief from Tony Pena en route to a 4-1 triumph.

Left-hander John Danks will get the call in the series finale on Thursday. The 25-year-old has had only three starts this season in which he has yielded more than three earned runs and leads the White Sox staff with a 3.58 ERA.

Danks faced the Angels back on May 19 and held them to two earned runs on three hits in 7 2/3 innings while striking out eight and walking two. But the Chicago offense could not get anything done, saddling Danks with the loss. He is 1-3 in seven career starts against Los Angeles despite a 3.16 ERA.

The Angels will counter with right-hander Ervin Santana. The hard-throwing 27-year-old is 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA over his last five starts, allowing 40 hits in 32 total innings. He is coming off a loss against the Kansas City Royals last Saturday in which he lasted 8 1/3 innings but was charged with four runs and seven hits.

Santana dominated the White Sox earlier this season, allowing seven hits and no earned runs in seven innings to earn a win on May 20.