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HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros added bullpen help Friday night when they traded for Minnesota right-hander Ryan Pressly.
Houston sent two prospects — right-hander Jorge Alcala and outfielder Gilberto Celestino — to the Twins.
The 29-year-old Pressley is 1-1 with a 3.40 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 51 appearances this season. He adds depth in the bullpen to a team that sent closer Ken Giles to the minors earlier this month after he struggled most of the season.
Pressly, who is from Dallas, said the trade was bittersweet.
"It's tough. A lot of friends here, a lot of great guys in this clubhouse," he said. "It's tough to say goodbye to everybody, but it's a business, I get it. So I get to go back home, that's the good part. I'm excited to go down there and help that team win, so I'm pretty excited."
Houston manager A.J. Hinch said it was too early for him to say how Pressly would be used. But he raved about his skills.
"He can bring a lot," Hinch said. "He's a good arm, and he's had success in the 'pen. I don't know him, but I know his track record. He's somebody we looked at pretty hard. He fits how we like to pitch. He fits in a lot of different roles for us."
Pressly has spent his entire six-year career with the Twins, going 17-16 with a 3.75 ERA in 281 games.
Alcala was 3-7 with a 3.29 ERA in 19 games between Double-A Corpus and Class-A Advanced Buies Creek this season.
The 19-year-old Celestino hit .299 with four homers and 21 RBIs combined between Corpus Christi and Class-A Tri-City.
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AP freelancer Doug Alden in Boston contributed to this report.
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