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Jays Watch: Cold bats put Toronto in 0-2 hole heading to Seattle

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Welcome to Jays Watch, where we'll have you covered throughout the Toronto Blue Jays' postseason run. Here are our takeaways from the Seattle Mariners' 10-3 win in Monday's ALCS Game 2.

'You can't be fatigued'

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The Mariners couldn't have made a louder statement in Toronto.

Seattle eked out a 3-1 win in Game 1 on the back of a great pitching performance and followed that up a night later with an offensive onslaught. These Mariners are proving they can beat their opponent in many different ways.

And so much for any signs of fatigue coming off a five-game series with the Detroit Tigers.

"I think in these moments, these playoff moments, you can't be fatigued," Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor said. "Every game matters. Every pitch matters. Every opportunity matters.

"In the regular season, you have an extra-inning game, late-night travel, get to another place, it could be cross-country, time zone change, maybe fatigue can set in. But I think in the playoffs, you've got to be willing to find energy any way, any how, or that's an excuse."

Naylor homered in Game 2. Jorge Polanco continued to come up clutch. But the biggest swing came from Julio Rodríguez. After a quiet start to his postseason, Rodríguez's three-run homer in the first inning of Game 2 set the tone for Seattle's strong offensive performance. If Rodríguez begins to heat up, it makes a strong lineup that much more lethal and forces the Blue Jays to pitch to Cal Raleigh.

"Obviously, they've got Cal over there, and he showed how he can even up a game in one swing," Blue Jays right-hander Shane Bieber said. "But it's really not just Cal. They have a bunch of guys that can really inflict damage at any point."

The Mariners' best players have led the charge through two games, and that's with Randy Arozarena and Eugenio Suarez yet to get going.

Seattle outscored Toronto 13-4, outhit it 17-8, and outhomered it 4-1 at the Rogers Centre. Mariners' hitters have exploited Blue Jays' pitching by reaching base 10 times in two contests via walk or hit-by-pitch. In Game 2, Rodríguez's first-inning, three-run homer came after Trey Yesavage plunked the first batter and walked the next.

Blue Jays pitchers are allowing 4.5 BB/9 in the ALCS after a 3.86 BB/9 in the ALDS, and the Mariners are making them pay with the longball when there's traffic on the bases. Toronto's staff allowed only two homers against the Yankees but has failed to keep the ball in the yard this series.

"I'm going to continue to trust everyone that either starts the game or comes in," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of his pitchers.

The Mariners stole Game 1. They dominated Game 2.

'We need to get better offensively'

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It's incredible how quickly momentum can change series-to-series and game-to-game.

Toronto scored 34 runs in four contests against the Yankees, with production coming from up and down the lineup. It's managed just four runs through the first 18 innings against Seattle.

After tormenting New York, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has gone ice-cold against the Mariners. He's grounded out in six of his eight plate appearances.

"We need to get better offensively," Guerrero said. "I had a big at-bat there and couldn't come through, but you know that's baseball."

It's not just Guerrero who's struggling. The Blue Jays have received almost no production from their middle-of-the-order hitters. Nathan Lukes accounted for half of the team's six hits in Game 2, while Guerrero, Addison Barger, and Alejandro Kirk are a combined 1-for-20.

Toronto has scored all four of its runs in the first two innings of the series, and none in the rest. In fact, the club has managed just one hit and five walks from the third inning on.

"Just looking at the difference in these first two, slug hasn't been there for us, and has been there for them," Schneider said. "You never know when it's going to turn. They've got a good pitching staff."

If you're looking for encouraging signs, at least Guerrero's 109-mph groundout in the second inning was the hardest-hit ball of the game. Still, the Mariners finished the night with six of the nine hardest hits, with two of those homers. Hitting the ball hard only matters if you're also getting on base and driving in runs.

"I thought today was way better than yesterday, obviously, and we hit some balls hard," Schneider said. "I want these guys to continue to feel like they're on the attack; you know what I mean? It's what we've done this entire season. Hopefully the luck turns, and hopefully the slug shows up when we get there."

Already without Bo Bichette for the series, the health of Anthony Santander also lingers over the club. The Blue Jays scratched Santander late ahead of Game 2 after he experienced back soreness, and his status moving forward is unknown.

'Nothing was spectacular today'

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Schneider received criticism for lifting Kevin Gausman after 5 2/3 innings in Game 1, but he made the right call to remove Yesavage after he recorded just 12 outs in Game 2. That decision was still correct even after reliever Louie Varland surrendered a three-run homer two batters later.

The Mariners really made Yesavage work, collecting five runs off four hits and three walks. Rodríguez's homer in the first inning was a big blow and came off Yesavage's splitter - a pitch he carved up the Yankees with.

Maybe things would have gone differently had home plate umpire Doug Eddings not blown a strike-three call on Arozarena to open the contest, but that's just part of the game. And it should be noted that the Blue Jays benefited from a missed call to Springer almost immediately.

At least the ABS challenge system will remedy these calls beginning next season.

"Gotta find a way to reset," Yesavage said of the missed call. "Sometimes it's a hitter's zone, and sometimes it's a pitcher's zone, but it's up to the pitcher to adapt to that, and pitch to whatever it is the zone is that day."

Yesavage generated 18 whiffs and 11 strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings against the Yankees in his first postseason start. He managed seven whiffs and four strikeouts over four innings against the Mariners. Yesavage experienced a drop in velocity as his outing progressed Monday, and perhaps Seattle benefited from having a bit more of a scouting report.

"It was alright. Nothing was spectacular today," Yesavage said of his performance.

The Mariners also took batting practice before Game 2 using a pitching machine set at a high release point to simulate Yesavage's delivery. Suarez and Polanco even mimicked the right-hander's unique overhand motion while waiting to hit pregame, so it's clear they were prepared.

"I thought his stuff was pretty similar," Schneider said. "Velo went down a little bit as he went. I think that was the biggest thing. Had the three strikeouts but wasn't getting as much swing-and-miss."

'Always going to have optimism'

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If you're the Blue Jays, this is exactly why you went and traded for Shane Bieber.

The former Cy Young winner threw just 54 pitches in Game 3 of the ALDS, and he'll start Wednesday's Game 3 of the ALCS on seven days' rest. Toronto acquired Bieber to be a frontline starter, and he'll be making the biggest appearance of his team's season with a chance to swing the series.

"You've got to empty the tank from pitch one and continue to be aggressive," Bieber said. "I watched that outing (versus the Yankees) back a few times. I was relatively happy with how I executed.

"I thought a couple different pitches and being a little bit sharper in certain situations could have had the game go a different direction, but ultimately, you can't really dwell on that, and you've got to focus on what's coming next, and kind of just dove into my work over the past few days, and excited for the opportunity on Wednesday."

The Blue Jays have certainly dug themselves into a significant hole. Teams that jump to a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have won 78 of 93 (84%) times. The Diamondbacks were the most recent to rally from a 0-2 deficit when they beat the Phillies in 2023.

Making things even more complicated is the fact that the Blue Jays will face arguably the Mariners' best pitchers in George Kirby, Luis Castillo, and potentially Bryan Woo in Seattle.

Still, if any club has shown the ability to be resilient this season, it's the Blue Jays.

"Always going to have optimism about this team," Schneider said.

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