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Jays' Manoah after topping Twins: 'We think we're the best team in baseball'

Stephen Maturen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah didn't lack confidence after Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

"We think we're the best team in baseball," Manoah said, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

The 23-year-old rookie earned his eighth win of the season Sunday by allowing two runs on six hits while striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Despite sitting in fourth place in the AL East with an 87-69 record, the Blue Jays may have reason to think they're better than their wins and losses indicate. Their plus-172 run differential is third-highest in the American League behind the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros. Only the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have done better in the NL in that regard.

Still, Toronto is fighting for its playoff lives entering the season's final week as it trails both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox by 1 1/2 games prior to Sunday night.

However, the Blue Jays may have gotten hot at the right time. Even though it dropped the first two games of the series against Minnesota, Toronto rebounded to take the last two for a split and has gone 18-7 in September.

The Blue Jays return to the Rogers Centre on Tuesday to kick off their final stretch of games with three against the Yankees and three more against the Baltimore Orioles.

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