ALCS 2016: 5 reasons Blue Jays will win

October 6, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) safe at third after hitting a three run RBI triple in the third inning against the Texas Rangers during game one of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oct 7, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) celebrates with right fielder Jose Bautista (19) after hitting a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers during the second inning of game two of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The Blue Jays have opened the floodgates

After sleepwalking and pressing through most of September, the Blue Jays have won six games in a row dating back to the end of the regular season. Their dominance of the Rangers was completely unexpected, but felt inevitable at the same time. Toronto has played with an energy that was missing for long stretches of the second half since Encarnacion’s home run in the Wild Card game cleared the fence.

The Blue Jays have brought back the same swagger that emerged after last year’s trade deadline. Donaldson and Tulowitzki keyed the breakout in the ALDS, but Encarnacion and Bautista also provided power. When this quartet is seeing the ball as well as they are now, they far outstrip the four best players the Indians have to offer.

The Indians also come into this series with hot bats and a confident pitching staff. The Red Sox were the popular pick to come out of the AL, but the Indians handled them with shocking ease. Still, that series had a fluky feel to it with unheralded players hitting big home runs for the Indians. The Blue Jays won their series because their best players played like the All-Stars they are.

Next: Best Starting Pitchers in MLB History

Counting on Lonnie Chisenhall or Roberto Perez to come up with another big home run apiece feels like a stretch. The Indians also had to contend with a Red Sox lineup that had shut things down over the final week of the season, only to try and ramp it back up again at the drop of a hat.

With their best players as locked in as humanly possible, look for the Jays to continue playing with an undeniable swagger and to get past the Indians and into their first World Series in over two decades.

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