Wieters and Britton on O's additions, Givens on rejoining the team

In the Orioles clubhouse, the players are coming to terms with today's moves and the new look of their roster, with outfielder Gerardo Parra and pitchers Mychal Givens and Mike Wright added.

Bud Norris was designated for assignment and Tommy Hunter was traded to the Cubs for outfielder Junior Lake, who will head to Triple-A Norfolk. Parra is not in the starting lineup but is expected by game time, and another roster deletion will have to occur.

Catcher Matt Wieters talked about the additon of Parra, who is fourth in the National League batting .328. He is batting .460 during his current 14-game hitting streak.

"I think he can help our ballclub," Wieters said. "What I've seen of him, he's a very good defender and we pride ourselves on that. He's having a great year with the bat, and I think he can really help the top of our lineup. Creating opportunities is big in how you score runs. Looking foward to seeing him in our uniform.

"We felt that we have enough in this clubhouse to have a chance. Anytime you add to it that gives us an advantage to finish the year strong and make a run."

Wieters was interviewed before today's 4 p.m. trade deadline and asked if the players would be relieved when it passed.

"Especially for guys where all the rumors were floating around. But there can still be trades, and stuff can still happen. But it will be nice to just focus on playing baseball," he said.

Meanwhile closer Zach Britton talked about the bullpen addition of right-hander Givens, who is 4-2 with an ERA of 1.79 and .191 average against at Double-A. He made his major league debut June 24, pitching a scoreless inning at Boston.

"The biggest thing he is going to learn is the adjustments guys will make (against him). And we'll help him with that as much as we can. It's not an audition, it's about being effective for a winning team," Britton said of Givens.

"We've got a good group of guys in here, and I think it makes a young player coming in feel more comfortable. If he struggles, it's not like guys will look at him any differently. We're here for Mychal. We like him a lot, and we're expecting big things from him."

Britton talked about Norris and his struggles that led to him being designated for assignment.

"It was tough to watch," he said. "A 16-game winner for us last year and a big part of what we did last year. He got sick, and things kind of snowballed a little bit. We were hoping he could turn it around in the bullpen. That is not where he needs to be. He needs to be in the rotation somewhere, and I'm sure someone will pick him up right away."

Givens talked about rejoining the Orioles and the improvements he's made over the last 12 months to improve his command and control. He worked with O's pitching coaches Dave Wallace and Dom Chiti at the club's pitching minicamp in January in Sarasota, Fla., to improve on repeating his delivery and mechanics.

"Just staying focused," Givens said. "I give all the credit to the organization and all the pitching coaches. Dom and Dave helped me in the mini camp making some adjustments. I ran with it and got help from (pitching coach) Alan Mills at Double-A."

After spending his first three years in the O's minors as a shortstop, Givens is now in his third year as a pitcher. It's a conversion that obviously has produced impressive results.

"Feel good as ever. They trained me well and took care of me throughout the process," he said. "We started going just one inning and then moved up to multiple innings. Real happy with the results we've gotten."