Optimistically, it's Rangers in 4

It's true, the Toronto Blue Jays have the best offense in baseball and quite possibly the scariest lineup I've ever seen in my 20-plus years of watching baseball religiously.

Somehow, the Blue Jays coaxed likely AL MVP Josh Donaldson out of Oakland, adding him to a mix that included Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion — giving them a pretty lethal trio in the heart of the order. Then, before the trade deadline, they added shortstop Troy Tulowitzi, a career-long Rangers killer. Oh, and then they went and got David Price, who just might win the AL Cy Young.

It's a scary team and a pretty daunting proposition to think about beating them in a best-of-5 series.

But here's the thing, hitting always takes a back seat to pitching in the postseason — always — and the Rangers might have an edge in that department. Want another thing to cheer you up? The Rangers won two of six meetings with Toronto this year, and both wins were Yovani Gallardo starts. Gallardo starts Thursday's Game 1 on the heels of 13 2/3 scoreless innings against Toronto this year in which he's allowed six hits. Oh, and one more thing: The Rangers' bullpen is better than Toronto's, and as the Royals showed last year, a great bullpen can carry you a long way in October.

So how are the Rangers possibly going to win this thing in four games? Here's how...

The Rangers can steal Game 1 against David Price, a pitcher they've owned in his career, especially in the postseason. If that happens, they go into Game 2 with Cole Hamels on the mound and a chance to take an insurmountable 2-0 lead heading home to Arlington. If that happens, the Rangers just might sweep this thing.

More likely scenario? The Jays get Game 1 behind Price and drop Game 2 to Hamels before coming to Arlington to face Derek Holland, who was in line to win a game against Toronto last month before a blown save by Shawn Tolleson, and the postseason bulldog by the name of Colby Lewis, who I wouldn't vote against in a possible clincher.