Why the Jays might be a playoff team

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Here's what you need to know right now from the world of sports:

Are the Blue Jays worth your time?

Heading into this week, the answer to that question was, for all but the most hardcore fans, no. The Jays were off to a sluggish 7-11 start, and even the modest novelty of their Buffalo home games had worn off. Their best hitter, Bo Bichette, had just been placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained knee. Exciting pitching prospect Nate Pearson was struggling and would soon land on the injured list himself with the dreaded "elbow tightness." And let's be honest: all the coronavirus-caused cancellations have turned this baseball season into a bit of a joke. With the NHL and NBA playoffs in full swing (and delivering quality entertainment daily) there just wasn't much point in tuning into a Jays game.

But now the answer to the question is… maybe? The Jays are on a five-game winning streak after sweeping Baltimore and Philadelphia, raising their record to a respectable 12-11. That would normally be nothing to write home about, but remember two things that are different about this baseball season: it's only 60 games, and more than half the teams make the playoffs.

In this bizarre new world, this still-incubating Jays squad is suddenly a legitimate post-season contender. Under the (supposedly) one-year-only format, 16 of the 30 teams get in — eight in each league. All you have to do is finish first or second in your division, or be one of the two best teams outside of that. Right now, the Jays are third in the AL East. It's unlikely they catch the very good Tampa Bay and New York teams ahead of them. But, if the playoffs started today, Toronto would get the second wild-card spot, behind the Chicago White Sox. According to Fangraphs' formula, the Jays currently have a 53 per cent chance of making the post-season.

And once you get in, who knows? The opening round is a best-of-three, which lends itself to random outcomes, and the next round is a best-of-five. With a few bounces, a mediocre team could pretty easily find itself in its league championship series this year.

Can the Jays keep playing well enough to get into the tournament? A big test starts tonight with the opener of a four-game series at Tampa Bay. Toronto is 2-4 this year against the AL East leaders, whose 17-9 record is among the best in baseball.

It would also help if Pearson and Bichette, who's been one of the game's best hitters in just his second season, can return sooner than later. And it would be great if Vladimir Guerrero Jr., could finally get going. His rookie year was good for a guy his age, but he's taken a step back this season. Guerrero is still only 21, so no one's panicking yet, but all his key numbers are down. He's hitting the ball on the ground way too much and, as a result, showing very little power, which is supposed to be his calling card. On the bright side, his talent level is off the charts. So there's upside — something you can suddenly say about the Jays' season too.

Quickly...

Homophobic slurs like the one Thom Brennaman used can have a devastating impact. That's the message CBC Sports reporter Devin Heroux wants to get through in the wake of the baseball play-by-play man's suspension for a hurtful on-air remark. The word Brennaman used drove Devin to quit hockey as a closeted teenager in Saskatchewan, and has caused him much anxiety in his professional life when he hears it (too often) in locker rooms. Read his moving piece here.

The Raptors are one win away from a first-round sweep. Toronto shredded the overmatched Brooklyn Nets 117-92 this afternoon to go up 3-0 in their series. Pascal Siakam led the way with 26 points. Game 4 is Sunday at 6:30 p.m ET. The marquee NBA matchup tonight is Game 3 of Clippers-Mavericks. Underdog Dallas took Game 2 and, with rising young star Luka Doncic at the helm, looks like it could give Kawhi Leonard and the Clips a run for their money.

Canada's Stanley Cup chances are dwindling. Calgary was eliminated in embarrassing fashion last night by Dallas. The Flames went up 3-0 just 6:34 into Game 6, then gave up seven (!) unanswered goals to lose 7-3. That leaves two Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs, and they both play big games tonight. At 7 p.m. ET, Montreal will try to hold off elimination again in Game 6 against Philadelphia. Key Habs forward Brendan Gallagher is out for the series with a broken jaw -- the result of a cross-check by Flyers defenceman Matt Niskanen late in Game 5. Niskanen was suspended for (somehow) only one game. At 9:45 p.m. ET, Vancouver can eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champion Blues with a win in Game 6. Last night, the New York Islanders completed a surprisingly easy five-game upset of Washington with a 4-0 win. Watch Rob Pizzo's two-minute recap for a fast and fun rundown of everything that happened in the playoffs last night.

Rust never sleeps. Maybe that's the lesson after Brooke Henderson shot 10 over par over two rounds to miss the cut at the Women's British Open. The Canadian star, who's ranked seventh in the world, was playing her first tournament in seven months after electing to skip the first three events of women's golf's restart. The other Canadian in the field, 103rd-ranked Alena Sharp, kept herself in the hunt on a tough day at Royal Troon that saw only seven players go under par. Sharp shot 3-over, which is also her score for the tournament, to fall from tied for fourth place to tied for 11th heading into the weekend. At least the Canadians didn't have as rough a day as Amy Olson. The American came into the second round with a three-shot lead before shooting a disastrous 10-over to tumble all the way down to tied for 33rd. The new leader is Sweden's Dani Holmqvist, who's 1-under and the only golfer in the red.

The Canadians are hanging in there at the PGA playoff opener, where someone shot a 59. Tour rookie Scottie Sheffler's 12-under second round at the Northern Trust is only the 12th sub-60 score in PGA Tour history. But six of them have happened in the last five years, and another looked like it could be in the offing at our publish time as leader Dustin Johnson was 11-under through 11 holes. Canada's Mackenize Hughes was tied for 21st, Corey Conners 36th, Nick Taylor 74th and Adam Hadwin 86th. After this tournament, only the top 70 players in the season-long standings will advance to the next playoff event. Coming in, Taylor was 37th in the standings, Hadwin 44th, Hughes 52nd and Conners 56th. You can see the updated Northern Trust leaderboard here.

This weekend on CBC Sports

Here are the most interesting things you can watch on each day:

Saturday: Canadian Premier League doubleheader. The all-Canadian soccer concern has bubbled-down on P.E.I. to play its 2020 season in tournament form. The so-called Island Games kicked off a week ago, and it's still early in the opening round-robin stage, which sees each of the CPL's eight teams play each other once. The top four will advance to the next round. Saturday's matches are York9 FC vs. Valour FC (that's Toronto vs. Winnipeg) at 2 p.m. ET, and Forge FC vs. Pacific FC (Hamilton vs. Victoria) at 4 p.m. ET. You can stream them live or watch them on the CBC TV network.

Sunday: Diamond League Stockholm. Much of the track and field season (including the Olympics) has been spoiled by the pandemic, sapping the Diamond League meets of their usual star power. But two Canadians are competing in Sweden: hurdler Sage Watson and middle-distance runner Marco Arop. Watch the entire meet live at 10 a.m. ET here, and read more about Watson here.

For CBC Sports' full broadcast and streaming schedule, go here.

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