Red Sox vs. Twins: Boston Favored Solely on SP Jon Lester's Reputation in Opener

The Boston Red Sox (4-10) and Minnesota Twins (5-11) will open up a three-game American League series on Monday night inside Target Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:10 ET.

Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Red Sox as -150 road favorites, while the total sits at 8.5 across the board.

Boston may have received a little help from Mother Nature in washing away its series finale with the New York Yankees, as the club has dropped five consecutive games, including a jaw-dropping 15-9 defeat on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the opening five innings—only to be outscored by 15 runs in the final four frames.

Jon Lester (0-2, 5.82 ERA) hopes that Boston's offense can start providing him with some run support, scoring just six runs in his first three efforts.  He comes off an 18-3 home loss to the Texas Rangers, issuing four walks in just two frames, which brings his total to nine free passes in 17 innings this season.

The left-hander will be making his eighth career appearance (seventh start) versus the Twins, producing a 1-3 mark and 4.71 ERA, including an 0-2 record and 5.84 ERA in two outings at Target Field.

Sports bettors will find that the Red Sox are 0-4 in Lester's last four tries as a road favorite, while the "over" is 5-2-1 in the club's last eight games overall.

Minnesota finished its seven-game road trip with a losing 3-4 record, as it dropped a 6-2 affair to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon. The Twins will have a hard time snapping their two-game losing streak, entering this series with a 1-4 record as a home underdog of +125 to +150 this season.

Jason Marquis (1-0, 7.20 ERA) will make his second start of the season in the series opener, posting a 6-5 road win over the New York Yankees on April 18, surrendering four runs and seven hits over five frames.

The Twins right-hander is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) against the Red Sox, as he'll be facing them for the first time during the regular season since June 30, 2002.

Marquis will be making his first career appearance in tonight's ball park.

Weather forecasts are expecting party cloudy skies and game-time temperatures in the mid-50s, with a 5-10 mph breeze out of the north-northwest (out to left).