The Toronto Blue Jays got out of the gate with a dismal 10-17 record last season and dug themselves a hole they could never really get out of. James Rodriguez Jersey . Its a scenario they really cant afford to repeat in 2014. Prior to last season, 39 of the last 60 teams that were in first place in their division on June 1 went on to make the post-season. If you look at last years races division by division, there were only two teams that werent in first or second in June who went on to make the playoffs. In the American League West, Texas was in first through April and May with a 34-21 - two games ahead of Oakland. The As went on a 63-32 tear the rest of the way and won the division by five games over the Rangers, who played and lost a sudden death tie-breaker. In the Central, Detroit and Cleveland hit June 1firsy and second in the division with the Tigers leading by a half-game. Detroit wound up taking the division by one game over the Indians. In the East, Boston was on top at 34-23. This is one division where there was a slight exception. Tampa Bay was actually in 4th place heading into the games of June 1 at 30-25. But the Rays were only a half-game back of Baltimore and one game behind the second place Yankees. The Rays finished 61-46 to take second place. The Blue Jays were 23-33 through the first two months and never really came close to getting back in the race, even with that 11 game win streak. In the National League East, Atlanta was 33-22 through April and May and won the division easily with a 96-66 mark. Washington, a pre-season favourite, was 28-28 and missed the playoffs altogether. In the Central, St. Louis got off to a 37-18 start and led the division wire-to-wire on the way to a Major League best 97-65 record. Pittsburgh was third two months in, but overhauled Cincinnati for second place, though both teams won 90 or more and both made the post season. The National League West was the one division where all bets were off after two months. Arizona was on top at 31-24 with a two-and-a-half game lead on the Giants and Rockies. The Dodgers were seven-and-a-half games out through April and May at 23-31. The division practically turned upside down the rest of the way. The D-Backs faded and finished at 81-81 for the second year in a row. San Francisco and Colorado collapsed and both finished 10 or more games below .500. The Dodgers, though, inspired in large part by the arrival of Yasiel Puig went a scorching 69-39 down the stretch and won the division with a 92-70 mark. So it pretty much goes without saying, the Blue Jays need to be at least slightly above .500 through April and May to have any hope of competing in the tough American League East. Their schedule is, by no means, easy with 22 of their 57 games through the first two months against the A.L East, including six against Boston and seven versus Tampa Bay - the two playoff favourites in the division. The Jays only have 10 games over April and May against "lesser" opponents, with three against Houston, three versus Minnesota and a four-game interleague series against Philadelphia. 25 of the 57 are against teams that either made the playoffs last season or were involved in tie-breakers. The Jays also have just one day off in the month of May; a real test of the pitching staff. No team will ever admit theyre out of it after just two months. The Blue Jays didnt a year ago. But in five of the six divisions last season, the two-month mark painted a pretty vivid picture of where teams are really at. The other day I was reading about the new head of the Players Association, Tony Clark, when another name in the article caught my name. It was Steve Rogers, who also works for the Association as a liaison to the players among his many duties. I actually had to double check that it was the same Steve Rogers who once pitched for the Expos. It was. If you get into a conversation with anyone as to who the greatest pitcher in Expos history was, some might suggest Pedro Martinez, who went 55-33 in his four seasons in Montreal. Others might say Dennis Martinez for his perfect game, maybe Bill Stoneman for his two no-hitters or Ross Grimsley for being the Expos first 20-game winner. In my mind, though, it was Steve Rogers. I was surprised to see his career record was only 158-152, but its his other numbers that blow you away. Over 13 seasons, all with Montreal, he pitched over 200 innings in nine of them. Six times he was over 250 innings, four times over 270 and in 1977 when he won 17 games he pitched an incredible 300.2 innings. He actually pitched more innings per season than Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and had a better career ERA at 3.17 than another Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Rogers was a five-time all-star and finished second in the rookie of the year voting and one year was second in the Cy Young balloting. It was a different era, but compare Rogers numbers to one of the Blue Jays all-time greats Roy Halladay in a couple of categories. Rogers had 129 complete games and 37 shutouts and Halladay had 67 complete games and 20 shutouts. Rogers, 64 now, had to retire at 35 when his shoulder essentially gave out on him. He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame at St, Marys and tries to get back for the Induction Ceremonies every year. He concedes he might even have had a shot at Cooperstown if he had been able to pitch another 5-7 years and could have won another 70 games. The Expos only made the playoffs once in their history - 1981. Steve Rogers beat Phillies legend Steve Carlton twice in the division series and then defeated the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLCS. But say his name today and many will only remember his relief appearance on "Blue Monday" at the Big "0," when he gave up the series deciding homer to the Dodgers Rick Monday. If you look at the numbers and the character of the man, Steve Rogers should be remembered for much more than that. Thiago Alcantara Jersey . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. Niklas Sule Jersey . "There are a lot of things that are going very well in this organization. Im not coming in here to rip things apart," Nicholson told reporters Friday. "I know what Hockey Canada was when I started, and I know where this (Oilers) organization is today. http://www.fcmunichpro.com/Kids-Arturo-Vidal-Jersey/ . - Diego Fagundez scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 76th minute to lift the Revolution to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday night that kept New Englands playoff hopes alive. CLEVELAND -- Dont ask Maurice Cheeks why his team is so successful away from home. The Detroit Pistons coach cant explain it. "I dont have any theories why that is," he said. "I just dont know." Josh Smith scored 25 points, Brandon Jennings added 21 and the Pistons continued their domimant play on the road with a 115-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. The Pistons have won seven of their last eight away from home, including victories against defending NBA champion Miami and Indiana, which has the best record in the Eastern Conference. While Cheeks cant come up with a reason, reserve guard Chauncey Billups, a veteran of 17 seasons, managed to put his finger on something. "On the road, all we have is us," he said. "We know we have to stick together when their crowds get going and they go on runs." The Pistons went on plenty of runs in their latest road success. Detroit went ahead for good midway through the first quarter and built a 21-point lead late in the first half. The margin reached 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Pistons rolled to their biggest win of the season. Jennings also had 13 assists for Detroit, which placed seven players in double figures. Kyrie Irving scored 21 points for Cleveland, which has lost four of five. "We got our butts handed to us tonight," said forward Tristan Thompson. The Cavaliers had shown signs of progress earlier this month, winning three straight and five of six. Cleveland has struggled since, dropping close games to Miami and Portland and losing by 16 points to a short-handed Chicago team on Saturday. "Our sense of urgency the last two ballgames has been non-existent," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. Cavaliers centre Andrew Bynum was scoreless in 22 minutes, missing all 11 shots from the field and getting seven rebounds. Detroit is 6-10 on its own court and was coming off home losses to Charlotte and Houston, but took control early. Smith scored 10 points in the first quarter when Detroit shot 56 per cent. Smith hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the second quarter that stretched the lead to 56-35. The Pistons were 22 of 41 from the field in the first half and took a 58-40 lead to tthe locker room. Christian Fruchtl Jersey. Cleveland cut the lead to 10 points in the third quarter, but three baskets by Jennings, including two 3-pointers, five points by Smith and dunks by Andre Drummond on consecutive fast breaks extended the lead back to 89-64. Smith was 10 of 18 from the field and had eight rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. "Working in the paint is the strength in our game, so Im making a conscious effort to not settle for shots," Smith said. "Im used to being a little selfish, but I can be a distributor when other guys get hot." Jennings directed the offence with 13 assists. Drummond had 14 points and 11 rebounds while Greg Monroe scored 11 points and had 11 rebounds. Reserves from both teams played most of the fourth quarter. Thompson scored 17 points for the Cavaliers. Cleveland played without guard Dion Waiters, the teams second-leading scorer, for the third straight game because of tendinitis in his right wrist. Brown is still searching for answers to get his team to play with more consistency. The loss was Clevelands biggest at home since a 125-90 defeat against San Antonio on April 3, 2012. "I dont know if we mentally understand what it takes to keep doing this every time we step out on the floor," he said. "Were getting hit in the mouth right now and Im interested to see if we can respond the right way." The Pistons have won seven in a row against the Cavaliers, including four straight in Cleveland. Cheeks coached his 600th career game. He has also coached for Portland and Philadelphia. NOTES: Drummond was given a flagrant foul for knocking Thompson to the floor while the Cavaliers forward drove in the lane in the first quarter. ... The Cavaliers were hit with three delay-of-game warnings in the first quarter, resulting in two technical fouls. ... Cavaliers rookie F Anthony Bennett -- the No. 1 overall pick in the draft -- returned after missing two games with the flu. He missed three shots and committed a turnover in six first quarter minutes. Bennett ended the game with seven points. ... Cleveland reserve C Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 13 points, all in the fourth quarter. ... Drummond recorded his 21st double-double of the season. Cheap Baltimore Orioles Gear Cheap Boston Red Sox Gear Cheap New York Yankees Gear Cheap Tampa Bay Rays Gear Cheap Toronto Blue Jays Gear Cheap Chicago Cubs Gear Cheap Milwaukee Brewers Gear Cheap Pittsburgh Pirates Gear Cheap Cincinnati Reds Gear Cheap St. Louis Cardinals Gear Cheap Arizona Diamondbacks Gear Cheap Colorado Rockies Gear Cheap Los Angeles Dodgers Gear Cheap San Diego Padres Gear Cheap San Francisco Giants Gear ' ' '