Toronto @ Oakland preview

Toronto at Oakland

Last Meeting ( Aug 16, 2010 ) Toronto 3, Oakland 1

Minnesota Twins hurler Kevin Slowey no-hit the Oakland Athletics for seven innings on Sunday before being pulled for precautionary reasons in his team's 4-2 victory.

On Monday, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum took a no-hitter into the seventh against Oakland when Conor Jackson led off the inning with a home run. That was all Marcum allowed en route to a one-hit, complete-game gem in Toronto's 3-1 victory.

So, the A’s figure to finally catch a break on Tuesday night, right? Well, not exactly.

Oakland faces Toronto’s Brandon Morrow, who came one out away from a no-hitter in his last start on Aug. 8. As a bonus, he struck out a career-high 17 in a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The right-hander threw 137 pitches in that game and was skipped over for his next start.

Morrow (9-6, 4.45 ERA) and the Blue Jays will be opposed by left-hander Dallas Braden (7-8, 3.56 ERA) in the second of a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday night.

The A’s have managed just 12 runs in their past seven games - with one victory to show for it.

Seeking his fourth straight victory against the Athletics, Morrow returns to the Bay Area - where he grew up and also pitched in college for California. He is 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA in four career starts against Oakland.

In his last outing, Morrow threw 8 2/3 hitless innings before Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria drove a fastball to the right side for a single. Morrow still finished with his first shutout and first complete game of his career.

Morrow has won four consecutive starts, averaging 10 strikeouts during the run.

Braden pitched the majors’ first perfect game this season on May 9 and will try to win his fourth game in five starts.

The lefty is 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA in his return from the disabled list on July 20. He has thrown two complete games in his last three starts.

Braden goes against the power-hitting Blue Jays for the first time this season. He is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA against them in three career starts.

Toronto third baseman Jose Bautista belted his league-leading 37th homer against Brett Anderson on Monday. The shot bounced off the left-field pole and back into play and was originally ruled an inside-the-park homer.

After the game it was changed to a traditional home run. Bautista has 11 blasts in his last 21 games, and the Blue Jays lead the majors with 183 home runs.

It was a bit surprising that Jackson was the batter who ended Marcum’s no-hitter in dramatic fashion. Jackson, who was activated before Monday’s game, had been on the disabled list since June 30 with a sprained right hamstring. He had hit only one homer this season – on June 6 – when he was with Arizona.

The A’s also activated outfielder Travis Buck, who was 0-for-3 on Monday. They optioned Chris Carter and Jeff Larish to Triple-A Sacramento.