BALTIMORE -- So excited was Hanser Alberto rounding first that he missed the bag.

Alberto had just tagged an Austin Voth changeup through the thick Baltimore air and toward the left-field seats, and he smelled extra bases. It was only after the ball cleared the wall that Alberto realized he had missed first base and had to backtrack, inspiring an uproar inside the Orioles' dugout. Once he did, he could jog the rest of the way.

“They were laughing and everyone was surprised, but it was good and it was fun,” Alberto said. “I didn’t feel like I missed it, but I wanted to be sure. Didn’t want to lose the home run on replay or whatever.”

• Box score

To the Orioles, it was classic Hanser, who has emerged as a bright spot this season as much for his animated style of play as for his bat, which refuses to cool in the summer heat. And by evening’s end, this latest example stood as a positive snapshot from Tuesday’s 8-1 loss to the Nationals at Camden Yards.

Alberto’s second-inning homer accounted for the Orioles' only run as they dropped the opener of this year’s Battle of the Beltways to their regional rivals.

“It was pretty funny, but he plays with so much energy,” Trey Mancini said. “He gets really excited, as he should. He’s a fantastic player, and he has a great time out there.”

For Alberto, it was the latest in what’s shaping up to be a banner week in a breakout season. His fifth home run came two days after he kept the Orioles from falling victim to a combined perfect game Sunday against the Rays, and a day before his wife was scheduled to give birth to their second child, a girl Alberto plans to name Hanna. Alberto is a candidate to go on the paternity list Wednesday, at which point the O's would be forced to soldier on temporarily without their newfound spark plug.

That qualifies as a challenge for an offense that has spent the past two months in dire straits, a group that was held in check Tuesday by Voth and two Washington relievers. Promoted from Triple-A Fresno to start, Voth scattered three other hits over six strong innings to outpitch Asher Wojciechowski, who had a disjointed third start in black and orange.

Wojciechowski struck out seven and walked none over 5 1/3 inefficient innings, but he fell victim to homers from Matt Adams and Juan Soto, and a pivotal RBI double by Anthony Rendon. The Nats added five runs off Baltimore’s ‘pen to seal the decision for Wojciechowski, who is 0-3 with a 5.74 ERA in three starts as the Orioles give him an extended look in their makeshift rotation.

“I would’ve liked to have about three pitches back,” Wojciechowski said. “Other than that, I think I executed pretty well.”

But the way the Orioles are swinging the bats, three mistakes were too many for a lineup that has several regulars mired in deep slumps. With four more hitless at-bats Tuesday, Dwight Smith Jr. is now 0-for-his-last-30. Chris Davis is 0-for-his-last-15, Richie Martin 0-for-his-last-21. Mancini’s squib double in the third snapped an 0-for-24, so frustrating a stretch for Mancini that he requested the ball.

“It’s definitely a weight off my shoulders,” Mancini said. “I honestly don’t know where my first [career] hit is, but I’m going to make sure I keep track of this one.”

All told, the Orioles have scored just 12 runs in five games since the All-Star break.

“It’s especially tough since a lot of us are going through it at the same time,” Mancini said. “There are quite a few of us that are going through little funks right now.”

Meanwhile, Alberto keeps hitting. His .306 average leads the Orioles and is tied for ninth among qualified American League hitters. His 24 multihit games are second on the club, one behind Mancini. Not bad for a journeyman who was designated for assignment four times this winter and entered 2019 a .192 hitter across 89 career games.

“It’s been a really blessed season for me so far,” Alberto said. “Thank God for allowing me to keep me healthy. It’s been a really, really great year for me.”