As NBA Free Agency rolls on, the Indiana Pacers are being linked to one of the bigger names on the market. Deandre Ayton, the 23 year old center who was selected 1st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA Draft, has been rumored to be on the Pacers radar. Brian Windhorst of ESPN says that the situation could be resolved “by the end of this week”. He also stated the Pacers could be mulling giving Ayton an offer sheet, or potentially a sign-and-trade deal with the Suns, and potentially involving Myles Turner. While one of the issues some have seen for Ayton is his insistence on a max deal, the Pacers, after shipping Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics, have the flexibility to make something work.
In a double header due to a makeup game from May 6th, the Cincinnati Reds split their two games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, dropping the first one 4-2, before earning redemption with a 5-1 win in Game 2. The Reds would get revenge in Game 2 on the back of their bullpen, which stepped up in a huge way after Tyler Mahle was ruled out on Wednesday with a right shoulder strain. Meanwhile in Atlanta, the St Louis Cardinals put away the Braves 3-2 after Dylan Carlson hit a tie breaking single at the top of the 11th. The Detroit Tigers took care of business against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, 2-1, after Javier Baez homered in the 4th, Eric Haase scored on a Torkelson single, and rookie pitcher Beau Brieske outdueled Dylan Cease on the mound. And finally the Los Angeles Dodgers knocked off the Chicago Cubs 5-3 in Los Angeles.
The Indianapolis Indians fell to the Iowa Cubs 6-3 at Victory Field. Iowa scored first in the top of the 3rd, as Trent Giambrone scored on a Nick Madrigal single. The Indians would answer in the bottom of the 3rd, as Jared Oliva stole home. The teams would trade runs in the 4th inning, before Iowa would put the game out of reach with a 4 run 5th inning. Meanwhile, in South Bend, the South Bend Cubs bested the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-6. The Cubs found themselves down 6-4 going into the 9th inning, when Owen Caissie hit a grand slam in the bottom of the final stanza to seal the deal for South Bend. And finally, in Ft. Wayne, the Tincaps fell to the Lake County Captains 11-10.
