Mateo led off the third inning with a single off of Skubal, swiped second base and took third on a ground ball before being stranded there. He also led off the fifth inning with a single off of the star southpaw and again pilfered second, but the O’s were unable to cash him in. With the two-hit effort, the 29-year-old speedster is now hitting .136/.136/.182 with zero homers, zero RBI and five stolen bases in 22 plate appearances on the season.

Mateo gets his first start of the year after coming in as a replacement for Thursday’s opener. The 29-year-old dealt with an elbow injury this spring, but is obviously feeling better. Jackson Holliday slides back to second base, and Ramon Urias will open the contest on the bench.

Mateo is seeing his first action since undergoing Tommy John surgery. While Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had previously ruled out the 29-year-old infielder for Opening Day, it’s clear that Mateo is making good progress. His availability in the first week of the regular season will depend on how much he can play over the rest of spring training. Either way, Mateo seems to have progressed enough that he’ll debut in April at the latest.

Mateo had done a “full slate” of defensive drills on Monday and progressed to batting practice on the field on Tuesday. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Mateo was “progressing extremely well,” and Mateo is still holding out hope that he can be ready for Opening Day. He will need to get in spring training games soon if there is any hope of that happening.