Cubs, A's swap catchers
CHICAGO, July 16 (UPI) -- The Chicago Cubs got catcher Jason Kendall and cash Monday from the Oakland Athletics for catcher Rob Bowen and minor league left-hander Jerry Blevins.
The Cubs, who have closed the gap with first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central, picked up Kendall to replace Michael Barrett, who was traded to San Diego on June 20.
Kendall, a 33-year-old three-time All-Star, is hitting .226 with two homers and 22 RBI in 80 games this season. But he is batting .297 with eight doubles, two home runs and seven RBI over his last 25 games since June 12.
Kendall is a career .298 hitter in 1,625 major league games with Pittsburgh (1996-2004) and Oakland (2005-07). He owns the 10th-best on-base percentage of any catcher in major league history with a minimum of 3,000 plate appearances.
This is the final season of a six-year, $60 million contract for Kendall. The Pirates owe $5.5 million of his $13 million salary this year.
Bonds out of Giants Monday lineup
CHICAGO, July 16 (UPI) -- San Francisco's Barry Bonds, in one of the worst slumps of his career, was scratched from Monday's starting lineup at Chicago because of sore legs.
Bonds, who went 0-for-5 in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, is hitless in his last 20 at-bats. It was only the fourth time in his career that he's gone hitless in five at-bats in consecutive games.
Bonds remains at 751 career homers, four shy of Hank Aaron's all-time mark. He hasn't homered since July 3 at Cincinnati.
Bonds' current 0-for-20 slump is just shy of his career-worst 0-for-23, set during his rookie season in 1986.
Ballesteros retires from competitive golf
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland, July 16 (UPI) -- Seve Ballesteros, who won the British Open three times and the Masters twice, Monday said he is retiring from competitive golf.
"It was an internal fight. My head said I think you should retire, I kept saying that over and over but my heart was keeping telling me that I would be better to continue playing and compete," said Ballesteros at the site of this year's British Open in Scotland. "I probably made the most difficult decision of my career as a player and I decided to retire."
Ballesteros, 50, has played in two tournaments this year, missing the cut at the Masters and finished tied for 77th in a Championship Tour event. He denied rumors of ill health and a suicide attempt.
Ballesteros, who turned pro in 1974, played in his first British Open in 1975 when it was at Carnoustie, as it is this week. He won the tournament in 1979, 1984 and 1988. His Masters' titles came in 1980 and 1983. His five major victories were included in his nine total PGA tournament titles. He also won 49 European PGA Tour events.
Brazil upsets Argentina in Copa America
CARACAS, Venezuela, July 16 (UPI) -- Brazil scored a major upset in its 3-0 victory over Argentina at the Copa America soccer tournament in the Venezuelan capital, O Globo reported.
Brazil struggled in the qualifying rounds of the tournament before defeating Argentina for the second time in a row for the title.
Argentina was undefeated in the matches leading up to Sunday's final against Brazil.
