A rain-shortened schedule today.

Rained out. The game will not be made up.

The Knoxville Smokies exiled the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 7-4. The win moved the Smokies into a tie for first place in the Southern League North Division.

Starter Brooks Caple took home the win after he went five innings and allowed three runs on five hits. All three runs came in the third inning and two of them came on a home run. Caple struck out seven and walked no one.

Vince Reilly didn’t allow a run over the final two innings for the save. Reilly surrendered just one single in the eighth (erased in a double play) and walked one batter in the ninth. Reilly struck out one.

The Smokies took the lead for good when third baseman Jefferson Rojas connected on a two-run home run. It was Rojas’ ninth home run and third in two days. Rojas went 2 for 4 with a triple and the home run. He scored twice.

DH Owen Ayers was 2 for 4 and he singled home Rojas after he tripled in the seventh inning.

Rojas’ home run.

Ayers’ RBI single.

Rained out. The game will also not be made up.

Wisconsin was also rained out, which means that the two rainouts are going to move the Cubs’ magic number for clinching the second half down. South Bend has a five-game lead on Wisconsin with nine games left in the first half.

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were herded up by the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 5-4.

The Pelicans wasted a dominating start by Pierce Coppola. Coppola pitched five innings and allowed no runs and just one hit and one walk. One more runner reached on an error. Coppola struck out five.

Riely Hunsaker pitched the seventh and eighth innings, gave up three runs and took the loss. The final line on Hunsaker was three runs, one earned, on five hits over two innings. He struck out one and walked no one.

First baseman Michael Carico reached base five times, going 2 for 2 with three walks. He scored once.

Catcher Jairo Diaz tied the game 4-4 with an RBI double in the top of the eighth. Diaz was 2 for 4.

Right fielder Eli Lovich hit a two-run double in the seventh. Lovich was 1 for 4 with a walk.

Off day.