In a piston pump assembly, cradle bearings support a swash plate on an inner surface of a housing assembly. The cradle bearing and/or the corresponding portion of the housing inner surface may have undercut portions allowing deflection of an inward portion of the cradle bearing when the swash plate is subjected to pressure forces from hydraulic fluid compressed within pump cylinders by the pump pistons. Deflection of the cradle bearings allows increased contact pressure to be further distributed across the engaging surfaces of the swash plates and the cradle bearings.