ATLANTA -- Kevin Pillar turned what had the makings to be a frustrating loss into an enthusiastic victory.

As for Marcell Ozuna, he may have created an opportunity to continue being a part of what has the makings to be a special Braves season.

Ozuna homered for the fourth time in four days, and Pillar came off the bench to hit a go-ahead eighth-inning homer that gave the Braves a 5-4 win over the Orioles on Saturday night at Truist Park. Adding to the significance of this comeback victory was the fact this was Pillar’s 100th homer.

“I know a hundred is insignificant to a lot of people,” Pillar said. “You think about the greats and how many home runs they have hit. But for a kid who was drafted in the 32nd round who never thought he would be in the big leagues 10 years later, a hundred -- you know I’ve never been a big home run guy -- maybe speaks to some consistency.”

Pillar has made an impact since he arrived at Spring Training as a non-roster invitee for the Braves, who own the National League’s best record despite splitting the 16 home games played thus far. This is a club that could get much better once catcher Travis d’Arnaud and shortstop Orlando Arcia return from the injured list in the near future.

A week ago, it seemed d’Arnaud’s return from a concussion might spell the end of Ozuna’s tenure in Atlanta. But Ozuna has raised his OPS from .444 to .648 while hitting four homers over his past 16 plate appearances. His most recent was a homer to begin the bottom of the third against Orioles starter Kyle Bradish.

Even if this unexpected power surge proves to be false hope, Ozuna has bought himself enough time to remain with the club once d’Arnaud returns to serve as a designated hitter and share the catching duties with Sean Murphy. If d’Arnaud is physically capable of catching on a regular basis, the likely move now would be to option backup catcher Chadwick Tromp.

The Braves could also be less than two weeks from the return of Arcia, who has become even more beloved as it has become more apparent Vaughn Grissom isn’t ready to be a big league shortstop. Grissom’s sixth error in 19 games led to the Orioles claiming a sixth-inning lead they would keep until Pillar’s homer off left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe.

“[Pillar] has been awesome to have, with his professionalism and how he stays ready,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s done really well for us.”

Pillar has been used as an everyday player throughout most of his career, but he was begrudgingly kept at the Triple-A level during most of last year’s injury-plagued season with the Dodgers. He signed with the Braves knowing he would need to win a roster spot in Spring Training and then fill a bench role.

It’s a challenging spot, but one he was ready to handle as he saw the lefty Coulombe start to get loose in the bullpen. Two innings earlier, Snitker had stuck with a lefty-lefty matchup when the Orioles brought Cionel Pérez in to face Eddie Rosario.

“When the lefty faced Rosario, I kind of thought my day was over,” Pillar said. “But when I saw the lefty in the bullpen [in the eighth], we [Snitker and I] kind of made eye contact, I took my sweatshirt off, went and kind of found my stuff and was just hoping to get that opportunity.”

Pillar looked at a slider out of the zone and then belted a nearly center-cut fastball over the left-field wall. The two-run drive was his second career pinch-hit homer. His only previous one was a game-tying seventh-inning solo home run for the Mets in a win over the Phillies on June 26, 2021.

“My parents were in town in New York, and I had played the day before and didn’t have a very good game,” Pillar said. “They asked if I was in the lineup, I said, ‘No.’ So, they stayed home and sure enough.”

Pillar’s parents also weren’t present for this latest pinch-hit homer. But he still received a lot of love from a clubhouse that has quickly come to love what he brings to the park every day.

“He’s a terrific teammate,” Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider said. “He just kind of personifies baseball to me. I’m really glad that he's with us. When he gets these opportunities, you know he's gonna lay it all on the line, whether it's at the plate or in the field. He came up big for us today.”