Jorge Mateo gives a boost to the Baltimore Orioles’ 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves

Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer in his first plate appearance after returning to the lineup, and Albert Suárez allowed four hits in 5 1/3 innings to lead the Baltimore Orioles to their fifth straight victory , 4-0 against the Atlanta Braves. Tuesday evening.

Mateo was reinstated from the concussion injured list and played for the first time since being hit in the head by teammate Cedric Mullins’ bat in a freak accident at the on-deck circle during a match on June 2. He hit a drive into the Baltimore bullpen in the second inning against Max Fried (6-3).

“At the start of the count, I was sitting on some pitches,” Mateo said through a translator. “But at that spot, with the count 0-2, I was just trying to put the ball in play.”

Suárez (3-0) lowered his ERA to 1.61, and Baltimore’s bullpen — which lost left-hander Danny Coulombe to the injured list before the game — kept Atlanta off the scoreboard.

The Braves lost a triple by Michael Harris II in the first inning. Then with men on first and second in the top of the second, Sean Murphy hit a drive to left field that stayed in the park for a flyout thanks to the high and deep wall in this part of Camden Yards. It would have been a homer in the other 29 stadiums, according to Statcast.

“I thought the wind was blowing, from what I checked, but it looked like the ball was kind of dead,” outfielder Austin Hays said. “I was just trying to get back to the wall and find it, and sure enough, I still had room. I’m glad that no matter what was happening with the wind, I held it in a little bit.”

Mateo’s 402-foot shot in the bottom of the inning went only 10 feet farther than Murphy’s, but it hit left center, where the wall juts out in front of the bullpen. It could have easily been 3-0 Atlanta after Murphy’s candidacy, but the Orioles took a 3-0 advantage.

“He hit it in the right spot,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We hit our three-pointer in the wrong place. When you go like we did, that’s what happens.”

Hays had three hits, including an RBI single in the sixth.

Atlanta, which lost star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. for the rest of the season to a knee injury, has lost four straight. Six-time defending NL East champions, the Braves are now 10 games behind division-leading Philadelphia. These two teams will face the Orioles this week in Baltimore.

Trainers’ room

Orioles: Coulombe was on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation. Baltimore recalled RHP Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk to replace him in the bullpen. The Orioles also optioned INF/OF Connor Norby to Norfolk to make room for Mateo. … LHP Cionel Pérez was hit by Adam Duvall’s comebacker in the eighth but remained in the game.

Following

Orioles rookie Cade Povich (0-1) makes his second career start Wednesday night against Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach (0-2).