ANAHEIM, Calif. — The news hit the White Sox like a hammer Monday when it was announced that two-time American League Cy Young winner and Tigers ace Tarik Skubal might miss up to three months after surgery to remove loose bodies — read that as bone chips — from his left elbow.
No one expected the Sox to compete for the playoffs this year after three consecutive 100-loss seasons, but they were right there after 34 games, heading into play Monday against the woeful Angels at 16-18, 1½ games behind the Guardians and Tigers in the AL Central.
They also are well aware the loss of Skubal for more than half the season might have a profound effect on the standings.
‘‘That’s tough,’’ Sox manager Will Venable said in the dugout before the game. ‘‘The league has a number of stars, and many of them are very special. People come to watch those guys. When one of them goes down, everyone in the league suffers from that. I’m sorry to see he’s having that kind of health issue.’’
But another team’s loss is someone else’s gain. The Sox’ pitching isn’t far off that of the Tigers and Guardians. They entered play Monday with a 4.25 staff ERA, compared with the Tigers’ 3.82 and the Guardians’ 3.97.
Their starters had been even better. The Sox — coming off winning two of three games in San Diego, where their starters allowed the Padres only three earned runs — had the sixth-best rotation ERA in the majors at 3.70. The Tigers were at 3.72 even with Skubal, and the Guardians were at 3.79.
The prevailing opinion was that the Sox have to keep doing what they’re doing even with Skubal out, left-hander Noah Schultz and right-hander Sean Burke said. The two combined to hold the Padres scoreless on six hits in 12 innings in victories Friday and Saturday.
‘‘Oh, it’s a big loss for the Tigers,’’ Burke said. ‘‘At the end of the day, we’ve just got to focus on what we’re doing and not worry about what’s going on with another team. We’ve just got to take care of our business.’’
Said Schultz: ‘‘It’s unfortunate for him. At the same time, we just have to focus on our team and do the same stuff we do every day. It doesn’t really change how we look at anything. It’s sad for them because he’s such a good player. But at the end of the day, we just have to keep going about how we do our stuff.’’
The Tigers lose this, however: In the last two seasons, Skubal was 31-10 with a 2.30 ERA in an era in which a victory for a starter is devalued. He struck out 469 batters and walked 68 in 387⅓ innings. That’s impact and value no one can match.
This season, he was 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA with 45 strikeouts and six walks in 43⅓ innings. That’s irreplaceable.
Skubal said he felt soreness in the elbow during his last start. When it recurred during his regular off-day workout, an imaging test revealed the problem.
‘‘A lot has to happen before we race to a return,’’ Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters in Detroit.
During his seven-year career as he heads into free agency this offseason, Skubal has stymied hitters to the tune of a .217 batting average.
‘‘You don’t want anybody to get hurt; he has such a great arm,’’ Sox outfielder/designated hitter Andrew Benintendi said. ‘‘We’ll probably see him later in the year if everything goes well for him. He’s a two-time Cy Young guy. A lot of hitters are going to be happy not to face him.’’
The Sox’ first meeting with the Tigers this season will be May 29-31 at Rate Field.
