(670 The Score) As the start of the playoffs loom next week, the White Sox are full of confidence and believe they're rounding into top form.
The American League Central champion White Sox have won four of their past five games, including an 8-7 victory against the Tigers on Monday in which the benches cleared after star first baseball Jose Abreu was hit and then got into a shouting match with Detroit players after a hard slide into second base. Abreu was appreciative of the support his teammates showed in the dustup.
The team viewed that as a unifying moment, and beyond that, there's a more important development. The White Sox had a healthy complement of position players in the lineup in a dominating 7-1 win against the Reds on Tuesday. Their improvement on the health front after dealing with so many injuries all season will be key when the playoffs start next week.
"We need to keep working hard and enjoying these games," Abreu said of the final days of the regular season. "We have done a very good job of making the playoffs for the first time ever in two straight seasons. It's a huge accomplishment. We need to keep competing. For us, it doesn't matter where we start the playoffs. We will play hard and do well just like we have all season."
Giving the White Sox more confidence lately is center fielder Luis Robert's sensational play. Robert is hitting .372 with a 1.053 OPS in September and homered twice in his team's win Tuesday.
"We are just trying to carry these moments into the postseason," Robert said. "We are concentrating on getting to (the postseason), playing our best and have a good performance there. I have more experience this year going into postseason, and so does the team."
Barring a wild turn of events, the White Sox will face the Astros in the best-of-five AL Division Series, opening on the road in Houston on Oct. 7. They're in line to return home to Guaranteed Rate Field for Game 3 of the ALDS on Oct. 10.
"This year having the fans cheering for us is going to be awesome," Abreu said. "We have a very good fan base. We know we can count on them, and they know they can count on us. It is going to be really exciting, to feel the energy of the fans here."
The White Sox host the Reds on Wednesday evening, then close the regular season by hosting the Tigers for three games in a series that starts Friday.
"We are totally together as a unit and as a team," right-hander Reynaldo Lopez said. "That is a key for us."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
