(670 The Score) The White Sox’s defense and bullpen let them down once again Sunday.
After White Sox closer Liam Hendriks allowed a game-tying homer to Royals first baseman Carlos Santana in the ninth inning, Kansas City scored the eventual winning run in the 10th inning when Chicago reliever Garrett Crochet spiked the ball to catcher Zack Collins while trying to cut down the go-ahead run at the plate. Crochet was charged with a throwing error as the White Sox continued their trend of playing sloppy defense in the 4-3 loss.
The team has nine errors in its 4-5 start, and the much-hyped and hard-throwing bullpen has struggled at times too. The White Sox bullpen entered Sunday with a 5.33 ERA, which ranked 22nd in MLB, then watched as the Royals plated runs off talented relievers in Aaron Bummer, Hendriks and Crochet.
Despite the struggles of the defense and bullpen, manager Tony La Russa expressed confidence in both.
"If you go back to Opening Day, a ball went off a guy's glove, so I don't see a struggle,” La Russa said in noting how the bullpen suffered one tough loss. “Even today, (Michael) Kopech’s a member of the bullpen, isn't he? And look what (Codi) Heuer did. Just because the other guy hit a fastball out of the park, that's all they got off Hendriks. I think the (bullpen) is the strength of our club. Look, we had a number of chances with a runner on third base. The team just got beat. But the bullpen is outstanding. It's a real strength.”
No one in the White Sox’s bullpen has been a bigger strength than right-hander Michael Kopech, who threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday after starter Dylan Cease went 4 2/3 innings. Kopech’s strong performance helped put the White Sox in a position to win before the Royals rallied late.
In his new role out of the bullpen, Kopech has throw 6 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, striking out 11 and walking two.
“I feel I can be up to handle anything,” Kopech said. “My legs feel really good so far. I have been fortunate enough to get a huge amount of rest considering how the games have gone. It is something I continue to get used to. If they needed me to go three innings, I can go three.”
Kopech mentioned he has learned from watching Hendriks and Bummer dealing with failure.
“The main thing I am trying to do now is listening to and watch those guys,” Kopech said. "I think good or bad result, they have the same mindset every time they go out there. After this one, on to the next one is the approach. You always want to compete to the highest level, but things don’t always go your way. You must be ready for the next one each day, because that could be tomorrow.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.