This is what the Blue Jays need to do to get back in the series against Mariners

The Toronto Blue Jays have dug a deep hole for themselves against the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS. The Blue Jays dropped the first two games of the seven-game series at home. They now need to win at least two games in Seattle to have a chance to bring the series back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays looked like a different team in the ALCS compared to the ALDS. In the first two games against the New York Yankees, the Blue Jays scored 23 runs on 29 hits. In two games against Seattle, the Blue Jays have four runs on eight hits.

It's not just the offence that's struggling. Toronto had the highest batting average in the divisional series (.338) and the lowest so far in the championship series (.131). The Blue Jays have given up the same number of home runs to Seattle in two games as they gave up in four to the Yankees (4).

Blue Jays offence needs to correct itself in Seattle

The Blue Jays are now in Seattle with their backs up against the wall. This isn't an unusual position for the team. Toronto led the majors in comeback wins (49). A September slump left the Blue Jays with the same record as the Yankees heading into the final weekend of the regular season, with their only comfort being that they held the tiebreaker.

The Blue Jays had to be perfect in the last four games of the regular season, including a sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, a historically difficult opponent for the Blue Jays. It seemed like the sky was falling, but it didn't. The Blue Jays hung on to win their first division title since 2015.

The beginning of the ALCS feels similar to that September rough patch. The bats are quiet, the pitching is struggling, and a dream season is on the verge of collapsing. So, how do the Blue Jays stop the sky from falling against the Mariners?

The biggest fix the Blue Jays need to make is the offence. The Blue Jays only had two hits in Game 1, both of which happened in the first two innings. They fared slightly better in Game 2, with six hits, although half of them came from Nathan Lukes. But once again, only one hit came after the second inning.

After going 9-for-17 in the ALDS with three home runs and nine RBIs, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 0 for 7 in the ALCS. Guerrero isn't the only Blue Jay struggling at the plate. Daulton Varsho is also 0-for-7. Addison Barger and Andres Gimenez are 0-for-6. Ernie Clement is 1-for-7 after going 9-for-14 against the Yankees.

The only Blue Jays with multiple hits are Lukes (3) and George Springer (2). While it would have been unreasonable to think that the Blue Jays could maintain their offence from the ALDS, this is a significant drop off. No amount of great pitching can win a game if the bats are silent.

The Blue Jays need more patience at the plate. In 32 at-bats in Game 1, 14 of them ended within two pitches; 21 ended within three. Toronto did improve that in Game 2, with only eight at-bats ending within two pitches; however, twelve of the Blue Jays outs came on groundouts.

While the Blue Jays have done a good job of limiting strikeouts; they have nine compared to Seattle's 25, a lack of strikeout means nothing if it isn't translating into meaningful contact.

The Blue Jays have a tough road ahead with the Mariners' pitching rotation. George Kirby is slated to start Game 3, while Luis Castillo takes the mound for Game 4. Should the Blue Jays force a Game 5, they'll likely face Bryan Woo. Woo hasn't pitched in a game since September 19 due to pectoral tightness. However, his ERA of 2.94 was the eleventh-highest in the majors this year.

Pitching is another area that the Blue Jays need to improve, particularly the bullpen. Four of the six relievers who entered Game 2 gave up runs. That started with Louis Varland giving up a three-run home run to Jorge Polanco.

The bullpen will be critical in the next two games. Shane Bieber struggled in Game 3 of the ALDS, only making it 2 2/3. Max Scherzer starts Game 4. Scherzer last pitched on September 24, giving up four runs on ten hits in five innings of a 5-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

He has three losses in his last five games, including on September 19 against the Kansas City Royals when he gave up seven runs and was pulled from the game in the first inning.

With question marks surrounding the starters, the bullpen needs to come through for the Blue Jays to bring the series back to Toronto.