Another win, Hardy's defense, tonight's game and international signing

As the Orioles gathered inside their clubhouse following last night's dramatic 6-5 13-inning win over the Red Sox, they still had sole possession of third place in the American League East and trailed the Astros by 5 1/2 for the second wild card.

The heart is still beating.

Chris Davis produced the game-winning single, his third walk-off hit of the season. The bullpen allowed one run over eight innings. Manny Machado put on another show at third base, homered and delivered a huge single in the 13th. Gerardo Parra going from first to third on the hit drew raves from manager Buck Showalter.

Let's not overlook the play shortstop J.J. Hardy made in the top of the 13th to start a 6-4-3 double play. He fielded a short-hop off the bat of Ryan Hanigan, making it look incredibly routine, and flipped to Jonathan Schoop.

That ball eats up a lot of shortstops.

"The read on that ball, whether you come to catch it in the air or back up a little bit and trust your hands on the short hop," Showalter said. "I know it sounds a little too deep, but it's also a great tribute to his trust in our field, knowing our field. It's one of the best infields in baseball. He knows that ball's not going to take a hop that it would take in some ballparks.

"He made another play, a backhand short hop on a play at second that most people, one, don't make, and two, if they make it there's a lot more theatrics and drama to it to get noticed. I was watching the replay on the board. That is a hard play, a backhand force at second."

Tonight's game features a battle of rookies, with Orioles right-hander Mike Wright opposing Red Sox left-hander Henry Owens.

Wright is making his 10th major league appearance and ninth start. He's never faced the Red Sox.

Wright is 2-4 with a 5.45 ERA and hasn't worked more than five innings in his last six starts.

Left-handers are batting .308 against Wright, while right-handers are hitting .234. He's 2-1 with a 4.84 ERA at home and 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA on the road.

Will Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovello continue to bat three left-handers in a row in the middle of his lineup? By stacking David Ortiz, Travis Shaw and Pablo Sandoval, he makes it much easier for Orioles manager Buck Showalter to play matchups.

It didn't work last night when Brian Matusz faced Shaw, but left-handers were batting .152/.204/.261 against the former No. 1 pick heading into the game.

Owens is making his eighth major league start. He's 2-2 with a 5.25 ERA. He's never faced the Orioles.

Left-handers are batting .308 against Owens and right-handers are hitting .246. He's 1-1 with a 6.86 ERA in four home starts and 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three road starts.

Owens' best start came against the Royals on Aug. 21, when he allowed one earned run (two total) and four hits over eight innings. His worst start came against the Yankees on Sept. 2, when he allowed seven runs and six hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Owens surrendered seven runs and 10 hits in six innings against the Mariners on Aug. 16, but he also struck out 10 batters.

Zach Britton and Darren O'Day have pitched the last three nights. If the Orioles have a save situation tonight, someone else probably gets the ball.

Jonathan Schoop extended his hitting streak to eight games, tying his career high. He's batting .324/.361/.618 (11-for-34).

The Orioles have signed right-hander Gillian Wernet, 17, of Aruba. They reached agreement with him last month and finally got the paperwork completed.

Former Orioles pitcher Calvin Maduro, now a scout in the organization, has followed Wernet for the last 2 1/2 years. Four other teams were interested in Wernet, but his family wanted him to sign with the Orioles.

Wernet was selected in March to participate in the inaugural International Prospect Series at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Gary, N.C. Aruba and Curacao reportedly sent one player.

Back in 2011, Wernet represented the Caribbean in the Little League World Series as a pitcher and shortstop.

Maduro said Wernet's fastball is clocked at 86-90.

"His presence and pitchability are outstanding," Maduro said.

"He'll throw harder. Right now it's about building up his arm. I like him a lot, obviously, or I wouldn't have fought for him."

Wernet will report to the Dominican Republic instructional league at the end of October.