Remember when we thought the White Sox bullpen was a strength?

Liam Hendriks

So, the White Sox are 4-5 after nine games. Not good, not terrible, just kind of middling.

And if I'm being honest, mediocrity was my expectation for the season. I had this team going 86-76 -- before the Eloy Jimenez injury -- so now I'm thinking 83-79.

But the shape of this 4-5 start has been interesting. The Sox haven't lost in a normal way yet. It's been a bunch of bullpen meltdowns, and that's the surprising part. You would have thought the bullpen would be a strength, with the investment in Liam Hendriks, the return of a healthy Aaron Bummer, plus Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet.

First off, let's absolve Kopech of any blame. He's been awesome. In Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals, he retired all seven batters he faced. So far this season, Kopech has worked 6.1 innings in three appearances. He hasn't given up a run. In fact, he's only given up one hit. Just terrific.

Too bad everyone else sucks, including Hendriks, who gave up a game-tying home run to Carlos Santana in the ninth Sunday. The Royals scored the winning run in the 10th on a throwing error by Crochet. Not terrific.

All five of those losses have been credited to relievers. We've seen one blown lead in the ninth (Hendriks), two blown leads in the eighth (Bummer, Evan Marshall), a seven-run meltdown in a sixth inning that turned a 4-1 lead into an 8-4 loss (Matt Foster), and a game that was tied in the ninth turn into a three-run loss (Foster).

In each of the Sox's four victories, they took at least a six-run lead into the ninth inning. You can't expect to blow teams out every day. Sooner or later, you have to lock up one- and two-run leads and win these close games.

Those games are the difference between 90 wins and 80 wins, or, say, 86 wins and 76 wins, as the case may be with this group.