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Four September storylines for AL East-leading Blue Jays

Israel Fehr

Meaningful September baseball has returned to Toronto for the second straight year but we already know the final month of the 2016 regular season will not be exactly like it was in 2015.

In fact, many of the elements surrounding the Blue Jays are quite different than a year ago, which makes for at least four compelling storylines to follow down the stretch.

Different divisional dynamics

Unlike last year when it was a one-on-one showdown between Toronto and the New York Yankees for the American League East title, there are two teams bearing down on the Blue Jays in the standings.

The Boston Red Sox are two games back and have six games left against the Blue Jays that could very well decide the division. They’re not messing around, either, calling up top prospect Yoan Moncada to play third base.

The Baltimore Orioles are four games behind Toronto, as their poor starting pitching and a recent injury to Adam Jones has seen them fade a little of late Heck, even the Yankees are just 6 1/2 games out of first place, despite trading two of the best relievers in baseball for a bunch of prospects.

What hasn’t changed is that the Blue Jays head into September on top of the division and are in control of their own destiny. Beat who you need to beat and there won't be any need to worry about anything else.

Back-to-back?

The division race isn’t the only one that involves the Blue Jays that’s gotten tighter. Josh Donaldson was named AL MVP in 2015, besting Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, and they're both once again having terrific seasons.

This year, however, Donaldson and Trout have some company in the conversation for the award. Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros, Mookie Betts of the Red Sox, and Manny Machado of the Orioles all have strong cases for why they should claim the MVP. It'll be an incredibly close race and Donaldson could certainly make himself the favourite with a monster September.

The six-man and Sanchez

Aaron Sanchez pitched for Toronto for the first time in almost two weeks Wednesday night, showing no signs of rust while limiting Baltimore's potent lineup to one run over six innings.

The long layoff was one way to keep the 24-year-old right-hander's innings down. Continuing to use a six-man rotation in September is another. There will be plenty of maneuvering on that front to ensure Sanchez is fresh and healthy for the playoffs.

Eyes on October

If the postseason began today the Blue Jays would be hosting the AL Central champion Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. That’ll hit close to home for president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins, who of course came over from Cleveland within the last year.

Win that series and there’s the potential of a playoff rematch with the Texas Rangers. You might remember the last game they played against each other in the postseason. Just ask Jose Bautista. The last game they played in the regular season was memorable too. You might not want to ask Bautista about that one, though.

But don't write any of the scenarios in pen just yet. The reigning World Series champion Kansas City Royals are making a charge for the wild card and they've shown they can be as dangerous as any team in October. As we’ve seen so many times before in baseball a lot can change in a month –  especially in September.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr