TORONTO -- The members of the Blue Jays' rotation aren't asking for much: Three or four runs per game from the Toronto offense would suffice. At least that's been the case lately for a starting staff that has been downright dominating.

Run support has been an ongoing issue for Toronto all season long, but the club's starting pitchers have done their part in trying to overcome the problem. Through 30 games this year, the Jays' front five have formed one of baseball's elite groups.

"Coming in, we felt we had one of the best staffs in the game -- at least in the American League," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said on Saturday. "They're doing that. They give us a chance to win every night."

Heading into Saturday afternoon's tilt against the White Sox, the Blue Jays' rotation had posted a 1.39 collective ERA over the past seven games, allowing just eight combined runs over a span of 51 2/3 innings. Since April 26, Toronto's starters have combined for a 1.02 ERA, and the Jays' staff as a whole has yielded three runs or fewer in 16 games this year.

Toronto's latest gem came on Friday night, when right-hander Shaun Marcum turned in 6 2/3 shutout innings and struck out nine en route to a win over Chicago. It marked the most strikeouts in a game by a Jays starter this season and helped Toronto to its second straight shutout win.

Marcum leads Toronto's staff with a 2.70 ERA and 35 strikeouts, categories in which the Jays have excelled as a group this season. Entering Saturday, Toronto ranked third among AL rotations with a 3.62 ERA -- only Seattle and Oakland rate better -- and second in the league with 130 strikeouts.

"They're on a roll right now," said Gibbons, referring to starters Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, Jesse Litsch and Marcum. "You can't expect them to do that every night, but right now, they're in a nice little groove."

Over the past five games, the rotation has surrendered only three runs, including just two over a three-game span at hitter-friendly Fenway Park in Boston. The only issue has been that, despite the stellar performances by Toronto's starters, the wins have been hard to come by for the Jays.

Consider the past seven games, in which Toronto's starters have lasted at least seven innings six times, yielded no more than three runs in any start and logged one complete game. The Jays finished just 3-4 over that stretch, thanks in part to a mere 2.3 runs per game from the offense.

Entering Saturday, Toronto's pitchers had received just 4.27 runs of support per game on the season, the third-worst mark in the AL. Only the Orioles and Royals have provided less support for their respective staffs. So while the Jays' rotation may lead the Majors with 191 2/3 innings and boast a crisp ERA, wins have been sparse.

"Our offense is due to explode," Gibbons said. "Then we'll see where we're at."

Toronto's offense, which ranks at or near the bottom of the AL in a number of categories, is the main reason for the Blue Jays' 13-17 record, entering Saturday. Toronto can consider itself fortunate, though, because the club entered its latest contest against Chicago just 4 1/2 games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.

"If there's some good news, it's that," Gibbons said. "But, you know, it's still too early to start looking at those things. You know where you're at, but it's just going to come down to playing good baseball."

So far, the rotation is doing its part.