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Red Sox, Orioles win AL East battle at MLB trade deadline – Metro US

Red Sox, Orioles win AL East battle at MLB trade deadline

Jake Peavy should boost the Red Sox rotation down the stretch. Credit: Getty Images Jake Peavy should boost the Red Sox rotation down the stretch. Credit: Getty Images

The Tampa Bay Rays official team Twitter account jabbed at the account of the Red Sox this past Monday night after taking over first place in the division with a tweet of, “Dear @RedSox scoreboard operator – your standings are wrong. Yours truly, @RaysBaseball.”

It’s going to be that kind of division race in the AL East for the rest of the year and though the Rays did the talking Monday, the Red Sox and Orioles won battles towards the end of the week. Boston made one of the biggest acquisition’s ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline by landing righty starter Jake Peavy. Peavy is a former NL Cy Young Award winner (2007 with San Diego) and was 8-4 with a 4.28 ERA on the 2013 season with the White Sox. In 10 of his 13 starts in 2013, he has lasted six innings or more and his best start this year came on May, a complete-game victory over Miami.

“We knew we got a very successful, proven right-handed starter to add into our mix,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told WEEI sports radio’s “Salk & Holley.” “Tremendous competitor. Fearless. Going to be able to put the ball on the ground, got the ability to get a strikeout against a lefty and a righty because of the breaking ball and the sinker that he throws. He’s got a changeup also that he can mix in there. … He is ecstatic about coming into this environment and a chance to compete not only for a playoff berth but also hopefully deep into October.”

The Orioles, meanwhile, made one of the better deadline day deals by landing starter Bud Norris from Houston in exchange for minor league prospects. The 28-year-old Norris owns a wicked fastball and is 6-9 with a 3.93 ERA on the season. He comes just in time for Baltimore, which placed starter Jason Hammel on the DL Wednesday.

All was quiet for the Rays and Yankees on deadline day, though business should pick up in New York in the next few days with MLB’s decision on the future of Alex Rodriguez looming.

Follow Metro Boston sports editor Matt Burke on Twitter @BurkeMetroBOS