BRAVES LAND DOTEL

The Atlanta Braves made another trade to bolster their bullpen, getting Kansas City reliever Octavio Dotel yesterday for pitcher Kyle Davies.

The Braves, in contention for the NL East title and in the middle of the wild-card race, made the deal shortly before the 4 p.m. EDT deadline for making trades without waivers.

The acquisition of Dotel, a hard-throwing righty who has 11 saves this season, followed the Braves’ trade for lefty Ron Mahay. Atlanta got Mahay as part of a seven-player trade with Texas involving first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The 31-year-old Dotel is 2–1 with a 3.91 ERA and 11 saves in 14 chances this season. Davies, a 23-year-old righty, was 4-8 with a 5.76 ERA for Atlanta.

PIRATES GET MATT MORRIS

The Pittsburgh Pirates got pitcher Matt Morris from San Francisco yesterday, an uncommon deal for a high-priced player by an outof-contention team at the trading deadline.

Pittsburgh sent rookie outfielder Rajai Davis and a player to be named to the Giants, who began shedding salary as they look to rebuild one of the majors’ oldest teams.

Normally, teams not in the race don’t look to add an aging and expensive starter such as Morris. But the Pirates felt their young rotation needed a boost with their two top starters — Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny — struggling since the All-Star break.

PADRES MAKE DEALS FOR ENSBERG, MACKOWIAK

The San Diego Padres made three trades yesterday, getting infielder Morgan Ensberg from the Houston, outfielder-infielder Rob Mackowiak from the Chicago White Sox, and reliever Wilfredo Ledezma from Atlanta.

San Diego, in the thick of the NL West and wild-card races, completed the trades shortly before the 4 p.m. EDT deadline for making deals without waivers.

The Astros sent Ensberg and cash considerations to the Padres for a player to be named or cash. The White Sox traded Mackowiak to San Diego for pitcher Jon Link. The Braves traded Ledezma and minor league pitcher Will Startup for reliever Royce Ring.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” Mackowiak said before the White Sox played the Yankees in New York. “It hurts to go from the team you grew up watching and idolized as a kid.”

PHILLIES ADD RELIEVER

The Phillies acquired reliever Julio Mateo from Seattle, adding bullpen depth shortly before yesterday’s deadline for making trades without waivers. Mateo hasn’tpitchedinthemajorleagues since early May. The right-hander was suspended by the Mariners after his May 5 arrest for allegedly assaulting his wife at a Manhattan hotel. The Phillies sent infielder Jesus Merchan from Double-A Reading to Seattle for Mateo, who was 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in nine appearances this season.