Blue Jays in good shape in tough division after completing first quarter of season

A .600 winning percentage would be good for a first-place position in two of Major League Baseball’s six divisions. It’s not even close to the top spot in the mighty AL East.

The Toronto Blue Jays posted a solid 24-16 record in Monday’s game against the New York Yankees, but they were closer to the bottom of the division than first place.

“We’re in a good position, but we haven’t really been firing on all cylinders fairly consistently,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

Toronto’s last four series have been sweeps. The Blue Jays lost four straight in Boston, won three in Pittsburgh, lost a two-game miniseries in Philadelphia and then came home to win three against Atlanta.

“I feel very good about the position we’re in given the number of games we’ve played on the road to date,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. “I really feel that there is still something positive in the overall performance of our team, but [we] they have come through a difficult period so far very well.

“I feel like we’re in a strong position.”

Strong home record

Toronto entered Game 1 of the four-game series against the visiting Yankees with a stellar 12-3 record at home. The Blue Jays own a 12-13 walk mark away from Rogers Center.

If the season ended on Monday, the Blue Jays would have the second wild card seed in the American League.

“Believe [we] like where we are and there’s still a lot of room for improvement,” Schneider said in a pregame media availability. “I think just in terms of being consistent in all phases of the game.

“I think the individual performances are good and some guys individually are going to be a little bit better than they are now.”

WATCH Kiermaier of the Blue Jays throws his batting gloves at a boy after hitting a two-run triple:

#TheMoment a kind gesture leaves a young Blue Jays fan in disbelief

A young Toronto Blue Jays fan was left in complete disbelief when outfielder Kevin Kiermaier threw his batting gloves at him after hitting a two-run triple.

Matt Chapman was one of the team’s early standout players, though he has calmed down of late. The third baseman was the AL player of the month for April after hitting .384 with five home runs and 21 RBIs.

Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have also been presenters, while Whit Merrifield, Kevin Kiermaier and Yusei Kikuchi have also enjoyed good starts.

George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Alek Manoah and Danny Jansen have all underperformed early on. Daulton Varsho and Brandon Belt appear to be on the up after a mixed first quarter of the season.

“I think there are some individual items on our roster that I think are going to be corrected,” Atkins said. “We’ve already seen some of that with Brandon Belt and Daulton Varsho. And then I think we’ll see things sync up better.”

The new schedule has pros and cons for Toronto

A balanced schedule was implemented this season in Major League Baseball. Each team will play the other 29 clubs at least once.

The good news for the Blue Jays is that they have 24 fewer games against AL East opponents. The bad news is that the rest of the teams in the East also play clubs from traditionally weaker divisions more often.

Toronto (24-16) was two games ahead of New York (23-19) and 2 1/2 games ahead of Boston (22-19). The Red Sox are last in the East, but their record would be good for second place in four of the other five divisions.

“It’s a strong division, always has been,” Atkins said. “The balance aspect makes it unique or different from how it has been in the past. But I think in the long run there are ways to benefit from it, albeit with some challenges.”

Toronto’s weeklong stay at home will be capped off by a three-game series against the Orioles. A third straight East opponent follows when the Blue Jays visit Tampa Bay next week for a four-game series.