The Pirates have dealt 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder John Bowker to the Phillies for a player to be named later. Bowker played in 19 games for the Pirates this year and he was 4 for 17 (.235 avg, .610 OPS) with 2 RBIs. He played in 45 games in his first two years with the Pirates and he was 20 for 86 (.233 avg, .685 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 15 RBIs. The Pirates shouldn’t miss Bowker at all, as he spent most of his 2011 season in AAA.

The Pirates have dealt 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Matt Diaz to the Braves for a player to be named later. Diaz played in 100 games for the Pirates this year and he was 56 for 216 (.259 avg, .627 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 19 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Diaz was a huge disappointment for the Pirates as they envisioned him being the part of a very effective platoon with Garrett Jones in RF. That never happened, so this deal makes a lot of sense for the Pirates.

28-year old righty reliever Daniel McCutchen is pitching pretty well this year for the Pirates and it has been a pleasant surprise. In his first two years with the Pirates, McCutchen pitched in 34 games (15 starts) in which he was 3-7 with a 5.45 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. This year though, they have been using him exclusively in relief this year and the results have been good. McCutchen has pitched in 59 games (0 starts) for the Pirates so far this year and he is 4-3 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. It looks like he’s found a new home in the Pirates’ bullpen assuming that he finishes the season strongly.

The Pirates have placed 32-year old righty swinging outfielder Ryan Ludwick on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to August 23rd, due to mid back muscle spasms. This is a shame as Ludwick was finally starting to turn it on with the bat in his hands for the Pirates. He has played in 21 games for the Pirates since coming over from the Padres at the trade deadline and he is 17 for 65 (.262 avg, .722 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs.

The Pirates have placed 28-year old righty swinging 1B/OF Steven Pearce on the 15-day disabled list due to a broken right index finger. Pearce has played in 50 games for the Pirates so far this year and he is 19 for 94 (.202 avg, .515 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs. The Pirates have called up 25-year old righty swinging infielder Pedro Ciriaco to replace Pearce on the active roster. Ciriaco has already played in 10 games for the Pirates this year and he is 3 for 11 (.273 avg, .636 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base.