"Charlie Morton knows the Pirates got him last June by trading away one of their most popular players.

The Atlanta Braves swapped Morton and two minor leaguers for outfielder Nate McLouth, whom Pirates management once hailed as a cornerstone of the franchise's future. The trade stunned many fans and even surprised some in the industry.

Every time Morton pitches, the right-hander wants to prove the Pirates got the better end of the deal.

"I feel I have a responsibility," he said. "I have a pretty good view of the situation. When I don't pitch well, there is that feeling of disappointment -- in fact, it's a little extra disappointing."

So far, it's difficult to say whether Pittsburgh or Atlanta "won" the trade.

Saturday night, Morton made his ninth start in what has been a dreadful season. He lugged a 1-7 record and 9.68 ERA into the game against McLouth and the Braves.

"Right now, yeah, I'm struggling," Morton said. "I'm not living up to expectations, but that doesn't mean I'm never going to or I don't plan to. I use it as motivation."

McLouth's first trip back to PNC Park came a week shy of the trade's one-year anniversary. When he came to the plate Friday, the fan response was mostly applause -- with a smattering of boos.

"It's good to be back," he said. "Same beautiful ballpark, same great city. It doesn't feel odd; it feels nice. I'll never complain about playing at this ballpark. It's beautiful -- not to mention a great place for lefties to hit."

When they got McLouth, the Braves thought they had landed a prolific leadoff hitter. But he has spent much of this season in the weak-bat No. 8 spot in the batting order.

On Thursday, when McLouth went 2 for 4 against Cincinnati, he raised his average to .208 -- the first time he was above the Mendoza Line since April 5. McLouth hoped a visit to PNC Park -- where he has a .268 career batting average and has hit 30 of his 74 career homers -- would give him a jump start."