BALTIMORE (AP) – The Boston Red Sox believe they got the better of the New York Yankees in their effort to stockpile talent for the pennant race.

The Red Sox still face the daunting task of outperforming their longtime nemesis on the field, but it’s been a long time since they felt this confident heading into the final two months of the season.

“We feel very good about what’s taken place,” Boston manager Grady Little said Friday. “We feel like we made some improvements and that we addressed some areas that needed to be addressed. We’re awfully proud of what’s happened.”

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein obtained right-hander Jeff Suppan from the Pittsburgh Pirates shortly before the non-waiver trading deadline Thursday, the latest in a series of moves that vastly improved the Boston pitching staff.

Former NLers Byung-Hyun Kim, Todd Jones, Scott Sauerbeck and Scott Williamson have enhanced a bullpen that started the season as a liability but now is perceived to be one of the team’s strengths.

“Theo is getting a lot of positive things said about him, and he should,” Red Sox right-hander Derek Lowe said before Friday night’s scheduled game against the Baltimore Orioles. “He did a fantastic job. He gave us a chance. These are the best acquisitions that we’ve gotten as a whole since I’ve been here.”

Lowe believes the Red Sox got several players the Yankees coveted, and thus are better equipped to take on New York than in year’s past.

“Normally you could say the Williamsons and the Scott Sauerbecks, they normally go to New York. They don’t normally go to Boston,” Lowe said. “I think that’s the biggest thing this year – the guys New York wanted, we got them instead.”

The Yankees did their share of dealing, too, adding Cincinnati Reds third baseman Aaron Boone and relievers Jesse Orosco, Armando Benitez and Gabe White to the mix.

“Both clubs got better,” Epstein said. “We know the Yankees have a great ballclub – not a good ballclub, a great ballclub. And we knew they were going to take steps. We didn’t want to sit around and wait.”

If nothing else, the Red Sox emerged from the trade deadline a vastly superior team to the one that started the season.

“They certainly helped themselves. They really did,” Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. “Early in the season all the buzz was about the weaknesses in their bullpen, and they’ve certainly taken steps to correct that. They’ve been an awfully good ball club, and they’ll give whoever it is a run for their money. I like their chances.”

The Red Sox aren’t obsessed with the Yankees, but because New York is in first place in the AL East and Boston is second, the hated Yankees are again the team to beat.

“It still comes down to execution. We have a very talented team,” Lowe said. “But your goal isn’t to beat New York. That’s the one thing about playing in Boston – all anybody cares about is New York, New York, New York. You have to take care of your own self. You have to go out there and win games.”

In recent years, New York has ended on top of the heap. The Yankees were 3 games up before Friday, but the rebuilt Red Sox like their chances down the stretch.

“You still have to take care of matters on the field,” catcher Jason Varitek said, “but we did things that are going to help this team.”

AP-ES-08-01-03 1859EDT