RealGM

TORONTO -- Dustin McGowan took a step toward putting himself in the mix for a spot on the Blue Jays' pitching staff on Friday morning, throwing off a mound without suffering any setbacks. The same could not be said following a similar bullpen session during the summer.

This time around, Toronto's training staff told Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos that McGowan looked great and was pain free. It was a positive development in what has been a long recovery process from right shoulder surgery for the right-hander.

"We're taking it step-by-step," Anthopoulos said. "But, we're not looking too far ahead. We don't want to build any expectations or timelines or anything like that. He threw off a mound today. He didn't have any pain or any soreness. It went well and he looked good, and it's a step in the right direction."