Stay calm and bat on — Andrew Albers predicts exciting playoff run for Blue Jays

It's all about skill, chemistry and managing nerves.

Saskatchewan-born baseball pro Andrew Albers said the Toronto Blue Jays have all three, and that will make for an exciting finish in the American League Championship Series.

• Blue Jays' season on the line against Royals

Toronto currently trails the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in the best of seven game series.

Albers explained that pressure in high-stakes playoff games can create opportunity, and errors.

"When the stakes get raised, everybody's a bit more emotional, everybody's a little bit more intense. And things happen. And certainly when they do, they're magnified," Albers told Garth Materie on CBC Saskatchewan's Blue Sky.

The Blue Jays high-powered batting corps has had trouble hitting against the Kansas City team. Albers attributed that to the quality of the Royals' pitching staff.

"Right now they've run into a really good team," Albers said. "They've got a really good pitching staff. Their bullpen is outstanding. Probably the best bullpen in the league. The old adage in baseball is usually good pitching beats good hitting."

Albers said much of the Blue Jays' success to late-season trades that brought star players such as Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki. He also explained that relationships between the players are key to playoff success.

"Chemistry goes a long way," Albers stated. "Certainly it's a lot easier to go out and play with the guys every day when you enjoy playing with the guys that are in your clubhouse."

Albers isn't worried about one other intangible – momentum. The Jays lost badly in their last game against the Royals.

"The nice thing about baseball is momentum doesn't really carry over to the next day. It also starts and ends with your starting pitcher. If you can go out there and put up a few zeros and score a couple of runs early, you feel a lot better about your chances throughout the game."