(Reuters) - The Pittsburgh Pirates made an aggressive push in their division race by trading for starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez on Tuesday.

The Pirates, who trail first-place Cincinnati by just 2 ½ games in the National League Central, sent a trio of minor leaguers to the Houston Astros in order to get the veteran left-hander.

Wang, 33, is 7-9 with a 3.79 ERA this season.

He has been a steady presence in the Astros rotation for the past seven-plus seasons.

"Wandy Rodriguez is a quality starting pitcher, and we are pleased to add him to our club," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington told the team's website (Pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com).

"Wandy has quietly ranked among the upper echelon of Major League starting pitchers the last three years. We believe he will be a solid addition to our rotation for the remainder of this season and beyond."

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Alastair Himmer; alastair.himmer@thomsonreuters.com; +81 3 6441 1889)