"In the final 18 hours before Sunday's non-waiver trade deadline, the Pirates added two veteran hitters to a team that has struggled to score runs.

Minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline, the Pirates acquired San Diego Padres left fielder Ryan Ludwick for a player to be named later or cash. Ludwick will join Derrek Lee, who the Pirates got Saturday night, in an effort to bolster the lineup.

"That's a professional player," said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who had Ludwick on the National League All-Star team in 2008, after a 6-5 loss Sunday to the Philadelphia Phillies. "I spent a few days, got to know him a little bit and had some conversations at times since. He plays hard, he's a pro, he's been able to be a run producer."

Ludwick played in the National League Central Division with the St. Louis Cardinals for four years and is familiar with the Pirates' past struggles and current resurgence.

"It's a beautiful ballpark," Ludwick said by phone Sunday night, referring to PNC Park. "A lot of nights it was half full. From what I'm hearing, people are really excited around the city. To be a part of something like that, I think that's a great situation to be in."

Ludwick, 33, has hit .238 for the Padres this season with 11 home runs and 64 RBIs. He hit .314 in May, but the production has dropped as the season progressed. He hit .172 in July.

"It's a game of adjustments and I've always had ups and downs in this game," Ludwick said, noting that he felt better at the plate in recent games. "I'm not worried about what happened yesterday."

A right-handed hitter, he had his best season with the Cardinals in 2008, hitting .299 with 37 home runs. His production fell somewhat in 2009, then hit a wall in '10 when he was traded to the Padres and spacious Petco Park at last year's trade deadline."