Boston (49-24) leads the majors with 49 wins but are tied with New York atop the AL East. The Red Sox conclude their 10-game road trip at Minnesota (31-37) and the series opener features a pair of legitimate aces on the mound. The current  odds from Elite-rated BetDSI have the Sox as a big road favorite.

Boston Red Sox   -172  (Sale)

Minnesota Twins +155  (Berrios)

Total: 7 (over -115)

The Twins are underperforming this year despite an upgrade in the starting pitching staff. Struggling slugger Miguel Santo was sent down to Class A to get his stroke right and perhaps a message to get in shape and a better mindset. Joe Mauer returned to the lineup over the weekend after being out a month. His left-handed bat is likely to struggle along with the rest of the Twins against lefty Chris Sale, who sports a 5-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio with 129 Ks in 95 innings. Across the board Sale is strong with a 2.75 ERA, .192 batting average against (BAA) and 0.97 WHIP. He dominated two weak lineups his last two outings in Baltimore and Chicago, and the only lineups that have had moderate success against Sale this season are Houston and Atlanta, who both lead their respective leagues in batting average. The Twins are hitting .240 with the second-fewest hits and home runs in the American League.

Boston’s bats are among the very best in baseball with a team average of .261 and the top five hitters in the lineup at .275 or better. But the Bo Sox face a top-level starter in Jose Berrios, who has found his form lately and, like Sale, sports some very solid under the hood numbers to go along with strong surface stats. Berrios has 91 Ks in 89.2 innings with just 15 walks allowed. His xERA of 3.4 is in line with his actual ERA of 3.5. A first pitch strike percentage of 64% is elite like Sale, and Berrios nearly matches his mound opponent with a .211 BAA and 0.95 WHIP. Following a complete game with 10Ks and zero walks and 2 runs allowed against the White Sox, Berrios tossed another strong game last out allowing 1 run (HR) and 7 hits over 6 frames at Detroit. The bullpen blew up again, and the struggles of Addison Reed are a concern. So too is the misfit closer, but we trust Berrios will be ready for the challenge against Sale as Jose has gone at least 6 innings in six straight starts and allowed 2 runs or less in five of those games.

Boston’s bullpen is top-tier, and while Minnesota’s is sub-par on the surface, they will have their better arms rested and ready. But we see a strong pitching duel Tuesday at Target Field. The Twins are a big home ‘Dog, and while that’s tempting with Minnesota having just knocked off Cleveland twice as big ‘Dog, we see Minnesota struggling at the dish and prefer not to play against Sale or the Sox in the series opener. But we like the total in this match-up, and the play of the day here is under 7 runs and also a shot in the first 5 under 3.5.

FairwayJay is a leading national sports handicapper and is recognized as one of the sports industry's most insightful analysts. Read more great insights from Jay here and follow him on Twitter: @FairwayJay