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Some saw a American League Championship Series pitting the Toronto Blue Jays against the Cleveland Indians coming, but few saw each team flying into the ALCS coming off inspiring sweeps.The Jays won in a walk-off in the wild-card game then swept the?Texas Rangers?-- the first postseason series sweep in Blue Jays history -- in a Game 3 walk-off in the first postseason series ever to end with the winning run scoring on an error. The Indians swept the?Red Sox, holding the games best offense to seven runs, after no team had held Boston to just seven runs in a three-game series this season. The Indians got contributions from so many players, including Lonnie Chisenhall, who hit his first homer this season against a left-hander, and Coco Crisp, acquired for the stretch run, who had a crucial two-run home run during the clinching Game 3.When things like that happen, destiny seems to be in play, yet destiny only takes one team, which is why the Blue Jays-Indians ALCS should be fascinating. Here are five questions:Has the Toronto offense finally emerged?The Blue Jays scored 127 more runs than any American League team last season, but they scored 132 fewer runs this year, finishing fifth in the league in runs scored. They averaged 3.7 runs per game in September/October, the third team ever to go to the postseason as the lowest-scoring team in September/October. But now the Blue Jays look like the offensive powerhouse that they were for most of last season. They scored 22 runs in sweeping the Rangers, the fourth most by any team in a sweep in a division series. They got eight home runs from seven different players, tying a division series record.Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista, free agents after the season, seem to be swinging for big, new contracts. Josh Donaldson has not hit a home run during this postseason, but he is quietly dealing with various injuries and still went 7-for-13, with four doubles in the division series. Donaldson scored the winning run in Game 3 from second base on a throwing error in the 10th inning. The gang is back together in Toronto. And it crushed Texas rotation: 16 earned runs in 10? innings.How good is the Cleveland bullpen?Its not just really good, it is different than most of the other pens because of Andrew Miller (1.45 ERA this season, with 0.69 WHIP, nine walks, 123 strikeouts). In Game 1 of the sweep against Boston, Miller pitched in relief in the fifth inning for the first time since 2013; it also was the first time since 2011 that he pitched in relief in three different innings. In Game 3, Miller threw two more scoreless innings and struck out three. The Indians can move Miller around and pitch him in any situation, because he is so versatile -- and because closer Cody Allen has, for the most part, got the ninth inning covered. In Game 1 of the division series, Allen and Miller threw 40-plus pitches, the first relief teammates to do that in a postseason game since 2008. Look for that to happen again in the ALCS. And look for that Cleveland defense, which is so good and so much better than two years ago, to help the pitching.How good is the Toronto bullpen?Really good. It threw 4? scoreless innings in the clinching Game 3 against the Rangers. In 14 innings during this postseason, the bullpen has allowed just two runs, including five scoreless frames (with one hit allowed) in the wild-card game against the Orioles. Closer Roberto Osuna, who left that wild-card game with a shoulder issue, was terrific in the division series. In the clinching Game 3 against Texas, Osuna retired all six batters he faced, striking out two and showing no signs of a shoulder issue. Francisco Liriano (concussion) might not be available for the ALCS -- and?Joaquin Benoit?might not be ready, either. It will be interesting to see if the Toronto pen can be as good against Cleveland as it has been so far during this postseason.How do we explain the Indians rotation?It is hard to believe that without injured starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, the Indians could hold the Red Sox -- who led the AL in runs scored, with 101 more than the next team, the Indians -- to just seven runs in three games. Trevor Bauer kept the Indians in the game until Miller arrived in Game 1. Corey Kluber, a Cy Young candidate, was marvelous in Game 2, allowing three hits and no runs in seven innings. Then Josh Tomlin gave the Red Sox five strong innings in Game 3. Tomlin allowed just 20 walks against 36 homers allowed this season, a plus-16; Carlos Silva is the only other pitcher to allow 16 more homers than walks in a season (2005). Salazar (shoulder) is working to try to be ready for the ALCS, but there are no guarantees there. But this is guaranteed: The Indians will start Kluber in Game 1 of the ALCS, then have him, if necessary, for Game 4 and -- this is a real stretch these days -- Game 7.What are the options for the Toronto rotation?The Blue Jays have all sorts of choices, none involving short rest. They can start the series with Marcus Stroman, who threw six innings (two runs) in the wild-card game against the Orioles. Or they can go with Marco Estrada, who shut down the Rangers (one run, four hits, 8? innings) in Game 1 of the division series, because that great changeup of his was unhittable. Or they can go with 20-game winner J.A. Happ, who beat the Rangers in Game 2 of the division series with five innings pitched and one run allowed. And they can wait instead of push Aaron Sanchez, keeping him for Game 3 or Game 4. Remember, over the final 21 games of the regular season, the Blue Jays rotation had a 2.08 ERA, the best in the big leagues. The postseason has been an extension of that success.Indians in seven.New Balance Clearance Sale New Balance Outlet Online . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. http://www.cheapnewbalance.net/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap New Balance Shoes Online . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. New Balance Shoes From China .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury.ARLINGTON, Texas - With the Blue Jays winners of four-in-a-row and eight of 11, TSN.ca sat down with veteran Mark DeRosa to discuss the state of the club, its chances of emerging from the basement of the American League East and the leadership of manager John Gibbons. Heres the transcript of the discussion: TSN.ca: The team is starting to come together here, I guess winning does that, but have you seen a process thats led the results of late? DeROSA: Well, obviously, were getting really good starting pitching performances. I mean, Mark Buehrle, hes had three or four just really, really good starts in a row. Getting (Josh Johnson) back, hopefully we get Brandon (Morrow) back, Chien-Ming Wang came in and gave us almost eight innings the other night. R.A. (Dickey) always takes the ball every five days. I think its just a situation where were getting a little bit more consistent, the lineups getting more consistent, seems to be the same guys against the same matchups. Guys are kind of knowing where they fit in and what their roles are. Weve had guys like Adam Lind just take off and really, really solidify that four-hole and give Edwin (Encarnacion) some serious protection. Its just about getting healthy. We all knew the talent was here, it was just a matter of how long could it go this bad without changing. I think were all excited that were playing better. I think we realize there are reinforcements coming in the likes of Jose Reyes, Brett Lawrie and Brandon Morrow. Those are three key pieces that certainly are going to help us. TSN.ca: The expectations, all the new faces, you guys coming together, does a team with all these new faces, in a city thats starved for a winner, need some time just to gel and relax? Were guys trying to do too much early? DeROSA: Well I think so. I mean I cant speak for everybody. I know thats what it certainly appeared to be. I think I told you this in spring training, I was in a similar situation in 07 in Chicago with a lot of new faces and a new manager and just a lot of expectations thrust on a team that spent a lot of money. We got off to a very similar start, maybe not as bad as the start we got off to here pretty similar and found ourselves constantly trying to claw our way back to .500 to give ourselves a chance in the second half. We were able to do it and end up winning the division so by no means has anyone lost confidence in here. If anything its only kind of slowing growing. I look forward to us playing good for the rest of the year. TSN.ca: In your experience back then was there a turning point with that Cubs team? DeROSA: I think we were about six games back at the time. We were playing Milwaukee, a day game in Wrigley and Aramis Ramirez, we were pretty much out of the game, Aramis Ramirez hit either a three-run homer or a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th to send us to the W. I mean, you go from eight games potentially back to five, it was almost like a three-game swing for us and it kind of just, the fans lit up, everyone went crazy and it was a springboard for us getting hot. Obviously Lou (Piniella,) hes a fiery guy, I think a lot of the early season struggles was getting to know his style, him getting to know us, maybe trying to do too much like we were doing here. I think a lot of factors pointed to it but at the end of the day we never lost confidennce in the fact that we were really good and really talented, it was just a matter of it coming out.dddddddddddd TSN.ca: Well probably need hindsight for this but is the type of home run that Jose (Bautista) hit in Chicago, with two strikes and two outs in the ninth to tie the game and you win in extras, could that be a turning point? DeROSA: And then I also think a situation like today. You come into todays game, its a situation where weve won three games in a row off a good team, we seem to match up well. I mean, if were able to pull off a four-game sweep in Texas against a team thats gone to two of the last three World Series can only boost your confidence going forward. Theyre a great team over there, a lot of respect for them, so to come in here and continue to play well. But yeah, there are moments when youve got to get lucky. It seemed like early in the season everything we did kind of blew up in our faces. Every error cost us a run, every missed pitch execution-wise was a homer, it was just one of those situations. Maybe we can get it going, trending in the other direction. TSN.ca: We dont know when Bretts going to be back but what does he need to do when he returns? DeROSA: Relax. I think thats the one word, relax. We need him to be Brett. We dont need him to try and carry us, we dont need him to try and be the man, we just need him to play his game. I think him relaxing and his infusion of energy into the clubhouse is something that makes any clubhouse better, I really believe that. Hes a fiery guy, he keeps everyone on their toes, and the energys infectious, it really can be at times when youre playing a game in Texas in 100-degree heat. I think thats the thing, weve got a nice flow to the lineup right now, like I said Gibbys been consistent with the lineups hes thrown out there. Our bullpens been phenomenal, I hate to not mention that, theyve been phenomenal. I kind of give them, I dont want to say a pass, but a situation where I expect it kind of out of them now. That goes without saying but our starting rotation, hopefully with Brandon coming back, can get comfortable. Josh throwing the ball the way hes capable of and a consistent lineup, whether it be against righties or lefties, whatever Gibbys doing that day, just lets us relax and have fun and play. TSN.ca: The manager, earlier on, came under some criticism. As a player youve played for a lot of different guys, we just talked about Lou, how has John Gibbons performed under the circumstances? DeROSA: Unreal, unreal. You know, you probably couldnt say it in the press and I know guys would bite their tongues, you know sometimes maybe the manager, guys dont see eye to eye with him and you can understand maybe some things getting written. But with John, no, it couldnt be further from the truth. Not at all. Hes a mans man, he treats us like men, he expects us to show up and perform and be accountable and be an adult. For me hes been absolutely everything I thought hed be from the guys I talked to coming in. Hes been awesome and to watch him go through that early-season criticism was really, really difficult because it had absolutely nothing to do with him or anyone on the coaching staff. We were just playing bad, bad baseball so Im glad that weve gotten on this little streak. I hope we can keep it going for the remainder of the season because hes been a great manager. ' ' '