There’s a lot to work through, then, which is what made the 6.1 innings of one-run ball Chris Bassitt threw at them Monday night in a 3-1 Toronto Blue Jays victory so impressive.

The day after an errant heater from Pittsburgh Pirates righty Carmen Mlodzinski fractured the pisiform bone in Danny Jansen’s right wrist March 13, the Toronto Blue Jays catcher and the training staff discussed how to safeguard his oft-injured hands. 

"There's lot of things to be excited about." When the Raptors got in front of the microphones at the end of a 25-57 season, they overwhelmingly sounded like a group sprinting towards a bright future, rather than escaping from the grim present.

As much as we like to make a big deal out of the AL East being the toughest division in baseball, it can’t hold a candle to the NL West or maybe even the NL Central when it comes to rivalries.

Andrei Kuzmenko is playing some of his best hockey as this Flames season comes to a close. Now, the question becomes if he can maintain this kind of pace over an entire season in Calgary.

The Blue Jays did enough damage to even their record at 8-8 on Sunday. But the next three days will bring tougher tests, along with an opportunity for the Jays to prove they’re closer to the Yankees than their records might now suggest.

The Canucks looked Saturday like the formidable team they’ve become this season and beat the Oilers 3-1 to put a chokehold on what would be Vancouver’s first division title since 2013.