The oddsmakers are not giving much respect to arguably one of the best defenses in the league this season. Indiana has not allowed an opponent to shoot 50% or more from the field in over a month coming into this game. Miami did not look good in their opener against Chicago and with the Heat not having played in a week I expect them to come out a little sluggish in this matchup too. The Pacers defense has held opponents to an average of 89.4 points per game in the playoffs on 41.6% shooting from the field. This is a defense that plays just as good on the road as they do at home holding opponents to a mere 91.6 points per game. While the Pacers may not have a high scoring offensive unit, they should certainly not have any problems staying within 8 points against a Miami defense allowing almost 95 points per game at home. Indiana is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against teams with a winning record. They are also 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games when they are playing on 3 or more days of rest. The extra rest afforded to the Pacers will prove to be very beneficial to an already stout defense. Expect the Pacers to come out strong and the defense to keep this game close until the end.

This line is still very favorable for Detroit when you consider the pitching matchup. Justin Verlander has posted a 3.17 ERA on the season and he has 60 strikeouts in just 54 innings pitched. The Tigers have a .280 team batting average and they are scoring 5.3 runs per game. Cleveland is 20-42 the last two seasons after batting .240 or worse over a 10 game span. Cleveland will have Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound today. Jimenez has posted a 9.72 ERA in his 4 home starts. He has been rocked to the tune of 18 earned runs and 13 walks while averaging a mere 4.2 innings per start. Jimenez has not had much luck against Detroit throughout his career. He has a 5-7 record and a 5.12 ERA and 1.464 WHIP when facing the Tigers.

The Yankees have a huge advantage at the starting pitcher position. Jason Hammel has been rocked in his last three starts. He has a 10.43 ERA and 2.318 WHIP. He has not been much better when pitching at home posting a 7.79 ERA and an 0-2 record. The Yankees will have Hiroki Kuroda leading the way today. Kuroda has been unbelievable this season posting a 6-2 record in 9 starts with a 1.99 ERA and 0.955 WHIP. His last three starts have been even better at 1.59 on the ERA and 0.794 for his WHIP. Baltimore has been a decent hitting team this season but their numbers are at the worst when facing division opponents. The Yankees are averaging 4.8 runs per game on the road. They should have no problem exceeding that average since they are facing Hammel and the Orioles will have a hard time scoring runs against Kuroda. When coming off a game in which the Yankees scored and allowed 3 runs or less they are 9-1 (90%) against the money line.

The Red Sox will have another one of their many ace pitchers on the mound today with Clay Buchholz. His opposition for Chicago will be (1-2) Hector Santiago. Buchholz has posted a 6-0 record this season with a 1.78 ERA. The most impressive thing about this pitcher is his ability to go deep into the game which is a tremendous help to the bullpen when trying to get the save. Buchholz averages 7.3 innings per start. Santiago pitches a lot of relieve too. He has thrown in 11 games and has only 4 starts. His ERA has been solid, but the White Sox do not get much longevity from the pitcher. That makes for a bad combination when they go up against a Boston team that averages 5.2 runs per game on the road while the White Sox are scoring a mere 3.5 runs per game at home. The Red Sox are 10-2 in their last 12 games as a road favorite and 4-0 in Buchholz’s last 4 road starts against a team with a losing record. The White Sox come into this game at 2-5 in Santiago’s last 7 starts. Things are trending heavily in favor of Boston and with Buchholz on the mound the Red Sox should have no problems picking up the win.