Cubs come up empty in clutch situations vs. White Sox  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon on his team's lack of clutch hitting and Kyle Hendricks' performance.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  A large foundation of the Cubs' 8-2 start to the second half is their clutch hitting, particularly with two out.

Kershaw has back strain, not herniated disk like last season  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) Braced for the worst possible news on injured ace Clayton Kershaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers tried to find some comfort Monday that his back diagnosis did not appear as dire as last season.

Royals Acquire Cahill, Maurer, Buchter From Padres For Strahm, Wood, Ruiz  —  6:16pm: Kansas City will pay for Wood both this year and next, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).  The buyout will be split in half if it is paid, MLB.com's AJ Cassavell adds on Twitter.

Twins Acquire Jaime Garcia, Anthony Recker  —  The Twins have acquired lefty Jaime Garcia and catcher Anthony Recker from the Braves, per a club announcement.  In return, Atlanta acquires young righty Huascar Ynoa.  —  As part of the swap, the Braves will send $100K to cover a piece …

Mets put Zack Wheeler on DL due to stress reaction in right arm  —  NEW YORK — The New York Mets put pitcher Zack Wheeler on the 10-day disabled list because of a stress reaction in his right arm.  —  The Mets didn't provide a timetable for Wheeler's return.

Report provides details on Price-Eckersley altercation: Red Sox pitcher cursed at Hall of Famer  —  David Price mocked Dennis Eckersley and cursed at him multiple times during the confrontation last month between the Red Sox left-hander and the Hall of Fame pitcher, according to a report published Sunday by the Boston Globe.

Daniel Norris to visit Detroit Tigers doctor about weary legs … Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris' legs aren't getting any better.  —  His problems are twofold: It's not only the left groin that is bothering him and forced him to the 10-day disabled list earlier in the month, but also the right quadriceps.

Ross hits DL, giving Rangers some options in rotation  —  ARLINGTON  —  Ross will be sidelined with a blister on his right index finger, an issue that didn't just pop up Sunday while he allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits in 3 2/3 innings.  He walked four and hit one in 3 2/3 innings …

Tomlin, Indians win fourth straight, 6-2 over Reds (Jul 24, 2017)  —  CLEVELAND (AP) Josh Tomlin pitched six efficient innings, Carlos Santana homered twice and the Cleveland Indians won their fourth straight, 6-2 over the tumbling Cincinnati Reds on Monday night in the makeup of a May 25 rainout.

Liriano gets first win in three starts, Jays beat A's 4-2 … Francisco Liriano won for the first time in three starts,  —  Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Monday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.  —  Martin had two hits and  —  Ezequiel Carrera reached base three times …

Marlins option struggling Koehler leaving open spot in rotation  —  Tom Koehler's most recent struggles resulted in a trip back to the minors.  —  A day after he gave up three solo home runs and five earned runs overall in a 6-3 loss to the Reds, the Marlins optioned Koehler to Triple A New Orleans.

Rays catcher Wilson Ramos hit with broken bat, gets six staples to forehead  —  Tampa Bay Rays catcher Wilson Ramos was removed from Monday's game after a scary incident when a broken bat struck his helmet.  —  In the fifth inning of the game against the Baltimore Orioles …

Watchpoints: Mariners send Motter to Tacoma, expected to add Espinosa  —  SEATTLE  —  The Mariners appeared to clear the way to add veteran infielder Danny Espinosa to their roster Monday by confirming utilityman Taylor Motter had been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.

Hot-hitting Phillies face rugged test vs. Astros (Jul 24, 2017)  —  PHILADELPHIA — By no means is Philadelphia Phillies manager Pete Mackanin saying the teams are alike, but he likens his current club's offensive outburst to that of the 2009 Phillies team that Mackanin saw …