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The U23 Baseball World Cup started today in Mexico. Leo Crawford is currently on the mound for Nicaragua, and is through three scoreless innings so far in their game against Korea. Venezuela is playing later tonight, and their roster is filled with familiar names, including infielder Antonio Pinero, catcher Jose Sibrian and outfielders Jesus Lujano and Carlos Rodriguez. Former Brewers farmhands Nelson Hernandez, Henry Medina and Anderson Melendez are all on the Venezuela squad as well.

Now that's a pitching line: 3IP, 0 hits, 0 BB, 8 K Wow. What can anyone tell us about Carlos Luna? Looks like he's already 24 years old, so not a real young guy for High A ball. But, is this someone that has a big arm that might be able to be at least a bullpen arm down the road? I was at the games in Appleton this weekend and Luna wasn't throwing all that hard, was sitting around 90 mph, but his offspeed stuff was nasty. Had some really uncomfortable looking swings against him. A couple of other things that stood out to me were Garrett Mitchell's speed and David Hamilton's defense. I knew Mitchell was fast, but I was still surprised by how quick he got around the bases. He can fly. Scored from first on a single. He was running on the pitch, but still very impressive. Hamilton can obviously cover a lot of ground at short but he showed a nice arm too, and had one of the prettiest relay throws I've ever seen to gun a guy at the plate. He took the throw from the outfield and adjusted in mid-air, firing a strike so quick that I don't think his feet even hit the ground before he released the ball. I know I'm supposed to stay impartial when I'm covering games, but I let out an audible 'wow' when he made that play. Nick Bennett was also back in Appleton on Saturday, so I'm guessing we'll see something about that in the transactions in the next few days.

Box: Delmarva (Orioles) 7, Carolina 4 Pre-Game Media Notes Carolina Falls 7-4 in Series Opener at Delmarva Ashton McGee had two hits and Daniel Castillo drove in two for the Mudcats in the loss No extra-base hits for Carolina, but Ashton McGee went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Mudcats, and Alex Hall added a pair of singles. 15 of the 27 Carolina outs came via strikeouts.

Box: West Michigan (Tigers) 8, Wisconsin 4 McClanahan’s Slam Can’t Save Wisconsin Whitecaps beat Rattlers 8-4 By Chris Mehring Chad McClanahan's grand slam was the big offensive highlight for the T-Rats, but 12 strikeouts as a team, including two each from McClanahan, Dillard, Rodriguez and Ward. Nick Kahle had the lone multi-hit game, while Korry Howell was on base three times, going 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Justin Jarvis struggled early, throwing 30+ pitches in the first inning, but Cristian Sierra was a bright spot out of the bullpen, striking out four over 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. Chris and Kyle with their postgame podcast including a Garrett Mitchell update from Matt Erickson.

Box: Tennessee (Cubs) 7, Biloxi 4 Smokies Use Seventh-Inning Rally To Top Shuckers Erceg and Castro Homer For Biloxi By Garrett Greene Tristen Lutz continued his strong start to the season, reversing a trend we saw in 2018 and 2019, when he got out of the gate slowly. He was on base three times out of the leadoff spot for the Shuckers, collecting a pair of hits as well as reaching on a HBP. Lucas Erceg and Luis Castro each homered for Biloxi, while Brice Turang had a two-hit game and drove in a run. Braden Webb tossed a scoreless frame for the fourth time in his last four outings. No hits, and maybe more importantly, no walks.

Box: Nashville 9, Gwinnett (Braves) 8 Pre-Game Media Notes Sounds Score Comeback Win Against Stripers Four-Run Seventh Provides Difference Over Gwinnett Another nice night at the plate for Keston Hiura. 3-for-4 with a double. As noted in the post-game notes in the game story linked above, that's Keston's fifth double in five games since joining the Sounds, already putting him among the Triple-A East league leaders. Hernan Perez and a rehabbing Jace Peterson each homered for the Sounds. Rough start for Aaron Ashby, who allowed six hits and walked four over 3.1 innings of work. Old friend Orlando Arcia continued to play well at AAA for the Braves, reaching base three more times in this one, collecting a single, a double and a base on balls. That bumped his OPS to 1.301, and he also stole a base and played clean defense for Gwinnett.

Zurbrugg had hamate surgery recently, so he'll probably miss the first month of the season.

Final: Wisconsin 6, Quad Cities 5 Silva's Walkoff, Three-Run Homer Beats River Bandits Wisconsin wins with another walkoff By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - Things looked bleak for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Wednesday Night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. They trailed the Quad Cities River Bandits 5-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. But with two on base and one out, Eddie Silva cracked a three-run, walkoff home run and the Rattlers won 6-5. Tristen Lutz gave the Rattlers (61-67 overall, 30-29 second half) the lead with a long, solo home run to left-center with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Lutz's thirteenth homer of the season banged off the top of the scoreboard. Quad Cities (73-56, 33-26) loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth inning, but starting pitcher Scott Sunitsch escaped when he got Michael Papierski to ground into an inning-ending double play. Wisconsin added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Gilbert Lara singled with one out and was still at first with two outs. Zach Clark cracked a triple off the wall in right on a 3-2 pitch and Lara scored easily for a 2-0 advantage. The River Bandits scored an unearned run against Sunitsch in the fifth inning. A hit batsman, a wild pitch, and a flyout to center was enough to get Trey Dawson around to third base. Sunitsch got the next batter to pop up to short right, but Silva, the Wisconsin second baseman, dropped the ball and Dawson scored. The Rattlers went back up by two runs in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out rally. KJ Harrison reached on an error and the next two batters walked. Lara, who had three hits in the game, singled up the middle to score Harrison and the Rattlers were up 3-1. Quad Cities cut into the Wisconsin lead with a run off reliever Carlos Herrera in the top of the sixth. Papierski singled with runners at first and second to drive in David Hensley and send Miguelangel Sierra to third with the tying run. Trey Dawson was next and he sent a line drive to center. Sierra tagged as Clark made the catch to try to tie the game, but Clark threw a one-hop strike to the plate to catch Sierra for the final out and keep the Rattlers up by one run. The good feeling did not last. Herrera hit the first batter, walked the second batter, and gave up a single to the third batter in the top of the seventh to load the bases. Clayton Andrews was called in from the Wisconsin bullpen to relieve Herrera, but he allowed a single to Jonathan Lacroix that scored a run to tie the game. Hensley and Alfredo Angarita followed with sacrifice flies to score the other inherited runners and the River Bandits had a 5-3 lead. Wisconsin's hitters were set down in order in the seventh by Tim Hardy and in the eighth by Willy Collado and things did not look good. The bad feeling did not last. Collado, who had not allowed an earned run since June 29 - a span covering 22 innings over thirteen appearances - gave up a leadoff single to Clark in the bottom of the ninth. Lutz singled with one out to bring Silva to the plate. Silva took the first pitch for a strike. He sent the next pitch on a line drive down the line in left that cleared the wall for the walkoff homer. This was the tenth walkoff victory for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Ronnie Gideon had the last walkoff home run by a Timber Rattlers was on August 24, 2017. In the second half Western Division Wild Card race, Kane County beat Peoria 8-6 and Beloit lost 7-2 to Cedar Rapids. Kane County moved their lead over Beloit to 1-1/2 games. The Rattlers miraculous win kept them 3-1/2 games behind the Cougars. Wisconsin has eleven games remaining in the season. The final game of the series - and Wisconsin's homestand - is Thursday night. Dylan File (7-9, 4.32) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Leovanny Rodriguez (4-6, 4.08) is set to start for Quad Cities. Game time is 7:05pm. The first 1,000 fans to attend the game will receive a Fang T. Rattler coin bank courtesy of Unison Credit Union. The Timber Rattlers will also partner with Minor League Baseball and Allegiant to give one lucky fan a chance to win a $500 voucher from Allegiant. Fans of legal drinking age may enjoy 12-ounce craft beers for $2. Cher-Make brats are also just $2 and they are available for everyone. Beers from Fox River Brewing Company, Badger Club Amber, and many, many more will be available on a Craft Brews & Brats Thursday with 105.7, WAPL. Also, the Timber Rattlers Concert Series continues with Open Tab performing for 90 minutes in the Fox Club starting at the end of the seventh inning. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, there are many ways to catch the action. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:45pm. Spectrum Sports will televise the game starting at 7:00pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps. Subscribers to MiLB.tv can watch the game over the internet. Box Score / Game Log The 9th inning rally Wisconsin Bottom of the 9th Zach Clark singles on a ground ball to right fielder Marty Costes. Darren Seferina strikes out swinging. Tristen Lutz singles on a line drive to left fielder Jonathan Lacroix. Zach Clark to 2nd. Eddie Silva homers (2) on a line drive to left field. Zach Clark scores. Tristen Lutz scores.

Final: DSL Brewers 9, DSL Cardinals 0 (Game One) With some bad weather in the forecast for tomorrow, the Brewers and Cardinals played two on Wednesday, with the Brewers shutting out the Cardinals, 9-0, in game one. Wilber Diaz started and worked the first five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits. Jose Alberro followed with two shutout innings to finish things off. Victor Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. Oswel Leones had two hits and a walk and Alwinson Valdez added a single, a double and a stolen base. Box Score / Game Log Final: DSL Cardinals 10, DSL Brewers 7 (Game Two) The Cardinals put up crooked numbers in the first and third innings to help earn a split of their doubleheader with a 10-7 win in game two. Starting pitcher Alexis Ramirez got lit up for nine runs (eight earned) over three innings of work and was charged with the loss. Victor Vargas added three more hits and a stolen base in game two, while Oswel Leones belted his third home run of the season. Box Score / Game Log Final: DSL Indians/Brewers 2, DSL Red Sox2 1 The co-cop Brewers finally got back into the win column as they edged the Red Sox, 2-1 in their game. The team managed just two hits, with both coming from catcher Roberto Molina, who went 2-for-4 with a double. Elian Gonzalez walked and stole a base. No Brewers' pitchers were used in this one. Box Score / Game Log

Catching up on a couple of transactions from the past few days. 8/15 Carolina Mudcats activated OF Joantgel Segovia from the 7-day disabled list 8/15 Carolina Mudcats placed RHP Wuilder Rodriguez on the 7-day disabled list 8/17 Colorado Springs Sky Sox placed C Dustin Houle on the temporarily inactive list 8/18 Colorado Springs Sky Sox activated 3B Andres Blanco from the 7-day disabled list 8/19 OF Larry Ernesto assigned to AZL Brewers from DSL Brewers 8/20 C Andres Melendez assigned to AZL Brewers from DSL Brewers. 8/20 Biloxi Shuckers activated RHP Zack Brown from the 7-day disabled list 8/20 Biloxi Shuckers placed RHP Conor Harber on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to August 17, 2018 8/20 AZL Brewers released RHP Yosmer Leal 8/21 Colorado Springs Sky Sox placed RHP Aaron Wilkerson on the temporarily inactive list 8/22 Milwaukee Brewers optioned CF Keon Broxton to Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Final: AZL Cubs2 7, AZL Brewers 3 The Cubs plated four runs in the first inning and that proved to be enough as they topped the Brewers by a score of 7-3. Carlos Luna got the start and took the loss after giving up four runs over four innings. 16-year-old Lun Zhao made his second relief appearance in Maryvale, retiring four batters and stranding one runner that he inherited. Leadoff hitter Carlos Rodriguez and first baseman Ernesto Martinez each singled, walked and stole a base while Jess Williams added two hits. Box Score / Game Log

Final: Orem 6, Helena 0 (Game Two) Brewers Halve Twin Bill With Owlz Brewers Get Pair Of Two Run Homers In Game One, Get One Hit In Game Two By Greg Mroz / Helena Brewers Scheduled for just seven innings, the Brewers and Owlz put together an old fashioned pitchers duel, as Helena starter Joey Matulovich and Orem starter Cristopher Molina allowed just one hit combined over the first five innings. Matulovich had a no hitter through five innings, striking out ten in the first five frames. Molina meanwhile allowed just a two out single to Jesus Lujano in the second and then retired ten straight Brewers to finish his outing. Rayneldy Rosario broke up the no hit bid with a single to left in the sixth. Livan Soto then placed a perfect bunt down the third base line that teetered the chalk and ended up fair once it crossed the line of the bag. That brought up Kevin Maitan, who singled into left, scoring Rosario, but Soto was thrown out at third. Matulovich finished his career long six inning performance with one run allowed on just those three hits, striking out a career best ten. Jake Lee came on in the sixth and punched out the Brewers in order. In the seventh, Orem's offense exploded for five runs to put the game out of reach, as Lee issued just a one out walk in the seventh to lock down the save. The Brewers were shut out for just the third time and were held to a season low one hit. The Brewers are back in action tomorrow for the third game of the four game series, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM. It is a Wine Wednesday along with a Weenie Wednesday. For more information and tickets, visit the promotions page on helenabrewers.net. Helena Box Score Helena Game Log

Final: Helena 4, Orem 1 (Game One) Brewers Halve Twin Bill With Owlz Brewers Get Pair Of Two Run Homers In Game One, Get One Hit In Game Two By Greg Mroz / Helena Brewers Helena, MT - In a modified double header on Tuesday night at Kindrick Legion Field, the Brewers won the suspended nine inning game thanks to a pair of two run home runs. Despite five no hit innings from Joey Matulovich, the Brewers were held to just one hit in a 6-0 shutout from Owlz pitchers Cristopher Molina and Jake Lee. Game 1 In a game that was suspended after two and a half innings last night, neither team scored until the fifth inning. Bryan Connell with a runner on took an outside fastball from Rion Murrah and deposited it over the right field wall for his first Pioneer League homer, giving Helena a 2-0 lead. Joel Pinto got the start in the game and went three scoreless innings before the rain came. Victor Castaneda took the mound when the game resumed, and fired three scoreless innings to start his outing. David Clawson gave Orem a chance to score the first run of the game after a leadoff double in the fifth, but thanks to two great defensive plays from shortstop Brice Turang, Castaneda got the next three to end the inning. The Owlz got a run back on a solo home run from Connor Fitzsimmons in the seventh, but after two more reached with two outs, Castaneda got a ground out from Michael Stefanic to keep it a one run lead. In the eight, Rayneldy Rosario reached on a leadoff single, but was caught stealing. Castaneda completed the eighth inning, giving him a five inning one run performance with a season high six strikeouts. David Fry added on insurance runs with a two out two run home run in the eighth inning, while Michael Mediavilla got the Owlz in order in the ninth to earn his third save. Helena Box Score Helena Game Log

Final: Quad Cities 6, Wisconsin 1 Rattlers Fall Flat Against Quad Cities Wisconsin held to two hits in 6-1 loss By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Quad Cities River Bandits defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 6-1 at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Tuesday night. The Rattlers had two hits and were charged with three errors in the game. Both teams had opportunities in the first inning, but it was the Rattlers (60-67 overall, 29-29 second half) who cashed in theirs to take the lead. Quad Cities (73-55, 33-25) loaded the bases with one out, but Wisconsin starter Nelson Hernández escaped the frame by getting the next hitter to ground into an inning-ending double play. Darren Seferina started the Wisconsin first inning with a double. He took third on a ground out by Tristen Lutz. Eddie Silva drove in Seferina with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers were up 1-0. The River Bandits loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second and Hernández almost got out of it. Marty Costes sent a grounder back to the mound, but Hernández threw wildly to the plate and two runs scored to give Quad Cities a 2-1 lead. More defensive misadventures in the top of the third inning allowed the River Bandits to put four runs on the board. Jonathan Lacroix started the inning with a single. David Hensley, who was the batter that hit into the double play in the first inning, sent a grounder to third, but Gabriel García couldn't cleanly get the ball out of his glove and both runners were safe. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Miguelangel Sierra singled to center and both runners scored for a 4-1 advantage. Michael Papierski followed with a two-run home run to right and the River Bandits were up 6-1. Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson took exception with some early calls that went against Hernández and he further objected to a strike call by plate umpire Ben Rosen against Zach Clark in the bottom of the third. Erickson went to make a pitching change after the end of the inning. The discussion turned into an argument. The argument got heated and Erickson was eventually ejected from the game. Sal Biasi entered the game for Hernández to start the top of the eighth inning and kept the River Bandits in check by allowing one hit and striking out four over four scoreless innings. However, the Wisconsin offense never got going after the first inning. River Bandits starter Luis Garcia allowed two hits and struck out two over five innings. Humberto Castellanos worked two perfect innings with four strikeouts. There were two errors by the River Bandits with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Rattlers couldn't take advantage. In the bottom of the ninth inning, KJ Harrison disagreed with a called strike against him and he was ejected. Hitting coach Hainley Statia, who took over as the third base coach when Erickson was ejected, came down to ask what happened and he, too, was eventually ejected from the game. The contest ended as pinch-hitter Jay Feliciano took a called third strike for the second out of the inning on the first pitch after the game restarted. Chad McClanahan took a called third strike for the final out. The series continues on Wednesday night. Scott Sunitsch (2-0, 1.64) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Cesar Rosado (4-4, 4.18) is set to start for the River Bandits. Game time is 7:05pm. The first 1,000 fans to attend the game will receive a poster featuring a team photo of the 2018 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from Brew Pub Pizza. All fans may enjoy Cher-Make hotdogs and Pepsi products for $1. Fans 21 and older may purchase 12-ounce domestic beers for $1. This is a part of Bang for Your Buck Night at the ballpark with Y100! Also, one lucky fan will win two charter airfare tickets courtesy of AAA Travel and Funjet Vacations. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, there are many ways to catch the action. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:45pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps. Subscribers to MiLB.tv can watch the game over the internet. Wisconsin Box Score Wisconsin Game Log

SKY SOX AUGUST 21 GAME POSTPONED DUE TO HEAVY RAIN AND WET GROUNDS GAME AGAINST CUBS WILL BE MADE UP AS PART OF A DOUBLEHEADER TOMORROW STARTING AT 4:00 P.M. By Sky Sox PR / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Tuesday evening's scheduled 6:40 p.m. contest between the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and the Iowa Cubs at Security Service Field has been postponed due to heavy rain and wet grounds. The game will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader tomorrow with two seven-inning contests; game one will begin at 4:00 p.m. with gates opening at 3:30 p.m. Game two will start approximately 30 minutes following game one. All tickets for the postponed game are considered rain checks and are good for full exchange to any remaining 2018 regular season game, except for September 1 (Sky Fest) which will be half off with exchange of rainout ticket. To exchange tickets, fans will need to present them at the Sky Sox ticket office. For ticket information, game schedule, promotions calendar or for additional information, visit skysox.com.