The White Sox are in a good position even after a 7-4 loss to the Indians on Monday night at Progressive Field.

They are a confident and talented group, having clinched their first playoff spot since 2008 and their third postseason berth since '01. They have a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins (33-22) in the American League Central and hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their better record within the division. Chicago's magic number to clinch the AL Central remains at four, while its lead over the Indians dropped to four, with three head-to-head games remaining.

• Box score

But with the Wild Card Series beginning Sept. 29, the White Sox still have things to figure out. Here's a look at a few of them.

Third starter
After Dylan Cease walked seven over three-plus innings despite not allowing a hit in Sunday’s loss at Cincinnati, Dane Dunning allowed four runs in four innings on Monday. Unless that best-of-three series ends in two games, one of these two very talented -- but inexperienced -- young hurlers figure to be slotted into that third starter’s slot.

• Crochet on playoff roster? It could happen

Dunning actually pitched well enough after the first three batters of Monday's game. Those first three resulted in singles from Francisco Lindor and Cesar Hernandez on a hung 0-2 fastball, followed by José Ramírez's 16th homer off a 3-1 pitch that was belt-high and in.

"For the most part, my curveball came along a lot more, later in the game,” said Dunning, who struck out five and walked one among his 87 pitches. “I felt really good with the two-seam, but four-seam, I felt like I wasn't driving it up in the zone as much. I was able to get a good pitch on Lindor at the very end, but for the most part, it was just getting that feel for the breaking balls.

“I feel good. I feel very competitive in each outing that comes along. I feel more comfortable each time I get on the mound. There are definitely some things I still need to work on, but all in all, I feel good.”

Injuries
Catcher Yasmani Grandal took a Tyler Naquin foul ball off his right hand during the seventh inning and was replaced by James McCann in the eighth. X-rays were negative, and Grandal is now day to day with a bruised right hand.

Eloy Jiménez, who had three hits on the night, including a game-tying two-run homer during a four-run fifth off Indians starter Aaron Civale, appeared to hurt his right leg beating out an infield single leading off the fourth. Jiménez was checked out on the field and stayed in the game.

“He said he felt like he pinched his knee a little bit, running through the bag. Ran all the way out,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “Talked to him all the way back in with the trainer. He said he was absolutely fine.

“I said, ‘You know, we don’t need any heroes.’ He said, ‘I’m 100 percent fine, I promise.’ Came in and finished the game, did everything normal. Sometimes you can step on the bag, or tweak it a little bit, and you really haven’t done anything other than irritate it.”

Offensive consistency
These words from Cleveland acting manager Sandy Alomar Jr. don't make it sound as if the White Sox are in trouble with the bat.

“You’re never out of the woods with the Chicago White Sox,” Alomar Jr. said. “They’re very dangerous and anybody in that lineup can take you deep and it’s almost like navigating through a hailstorm because they’re very powerful.”

Chicago ranks first or second in seven AL categories on offense but needs Luis Robert and Yoán Moncada to hit. Moncada is 10-for-58 in September, and the rookie phenom Robert is 6-for-62. Four walks in the past two games indicate Robert might be getting closer.

Cleveland
Monday’s game ended with Brad Hand striking out McCann and José Abreu looking with two runners on, and Renteria getting ejected after arguing a borderline third strike on McCann. Cleveland has a 5-2 season edge on the White Sox, and if the season ended Monday, the two would match up in the Wild Card Series.