Pittsburgh Pirates trade Jordan Lyles to Milwaukee Brewers

July 29 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates traded right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, reuniting him with his former team.

The Brewers announced the team traded pitching prospect Cody Ponce to the Pirates in the deal.

"I'm definitely looking forward to a change," Lyles told reporters. "This last month hasn't gone in my favor. I've pitched poorly. We got off to a really good start, hot start, and kind of faced some injuries here and there."

Lyles, who worked out of the bullpen with the Brewers last year, got off to a hot start this season with a 4-1 record and 1.97 ERA over his first eight starts, compiling a 3.09 ERA over the first two months of the 2019 campaign. He missed time due to a hamstring injury and wasn't the same when he returned.

Lyles, 28, has allowed 46 hits, including 11 home runs, and issued 14 walks over 27 innings in his last seven outings, resulting in a 0-5 record and 10.00 ERA.

In his most recent appearance Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, Lyles gave up eight runs, five earned, in 1 2/3 innings. He was scheduled to start Monday night for the Pirates versus the Cincinnati Reds.

Lyles went 5-7 with a 5.36 ERA in 17 starts for the Pirates. Ponce, a second-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Brewers, has a 1-3 record with 44 strikeouts, one save and a 3.29 ERA in 27 appearances at Double-A Biloxi this season.