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Aug 16, 2010 - 1:41 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Toronto (61-55) at Oakland (57-58), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Shaun Marcum had trouble while losing his last two starts to the highest-scoring teams in the majors. He should find things easier against one of baseball's worst offenses.

Marcum looks to get back on track Monday night when the Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game road set against the punchless Oakland Athletics.

The right-hander went 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA in his final three outings of July before going 0-2 with an 11.70 ERA in two starts this month against the New York Yankees and Boston. Marcum (10-6, 3.87 ERA) allowed a season-high eight runs in four-plus innings - including a career-high four home runs - Wednesday in a 10-1 loss to the Red Sox.

"My mechanics felt off a little bit but that's no excuse," he said. "I've still got to make pitches and try to find a way to grind out some innings."

Oakland (57-59) is tied with Seattle for the fewest homers in the majors with 70, and its 465 runs scored are fifth-fewest in baseball. Marcum improved to 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA in five starts against the Athletics by yielding one run in 6 1-3 innings of a 9-3 home victory May 2.

The Athletics are returning home after a dismal 1-5 trip in which they totaled 11 runs and batted .209 with 41 strikeouts.

Left fielder Conor Jackson, sidelined since June 30 with a right hamstring injury, will likely be activated at some point on this seven-game homestand. He may be less likely to provide Oakland the offensive boost it needs, as he batted a middling .267 with four RBIs in his first 14 games after being acquired from Arizona in June and has homered twice since the start of 2009.

"He'll play a lot," manager Bob Geren told the Athletics' official website. "Whether it's every day or not, we don't know. He's been off for a while, and we want to make sure he's healthy."

The A's were held without a hit through seven innings of Sunday's 4-2 loss at Minnesota. They finally got on the board on back-to-back doubles by Cliff Pennington and Coco Crisp in the eighth.

Toronto (62-55) outscored Oakland 28-12 and outhomered the A's 10-1 to win three of four at home April 29-May 2. John Buck went 8 for 12 with three homers and seven RBIs in that series, but the All-Star catcher is currently on the disabled list with a right thumb laceration.

The Blue Jays are seeking to capture a third straight road series after winning two of three against the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend. Adam Lind homered and Ricky Romero tied Marcum for the team lead with his 10th victory in Sunday's 4-1 win.

Toronto has faced fewer left-handed starters than any team in the majors, going 9-15 in those contests. The Blue Jays are scheduled to face a southpaw in every game of this series, starting with Brett Anderson (3-3, 2.88) on Monday.

Anderson is 1-2 with a 3.72 ERA in three starts since returning from his second stint on the DL due to elbow problems this season. He allowed one run over seven innings last Tuesday in a 2-0 loss at Seattle.

"He went as deep as he could and did a heck of a job," Geren said.

Anderson has never faced Toronto.