The first sign of the strangeness to come was the lineup. No Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, or J.T. Realmuto? Harper at DH again? Eyebrows were raised. They would remain so for much of the night.
The first inning went quietly, with the only bumps being a popup from Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander that looked like it might’ve turned into a collision (thankfully averted, though a sense of déjà vu persisted), and Bryce Harper reaching first when rookie second baseman Jordan Westburg slipped on the dirt and ended up late on the throw.
Westburg came to bat in the 2nd and quickly made up for his mishap with a 356 foot solo shot to right, the first of his career.