BALTIMORE (Interstat) — Ildemaro Vargas launched a three-run homer to cap a four-run fifth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks held off a late rally to edge the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Tuesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

A crowd of 13,524 watched as the Diamondbacks (10-8) bounced back from a series-opening loss to even the three-game set, handing the Orioles (9-8) their third loss in four games.

The decisive sequence came in the fifth against Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers (2-1). With one out, James McCann singled and Tim Tawa struck out. Jorge Barrosa worked a walk to bring Vargas to the plate. The Arizona second baseman, who had struck out and flied out in his first two at-bats, connected on a 2-1 offering from Rogers, driving it to left-center field for his second home run of the season, clearing the bases and giving Arizona a 3-2 lead.

The Diamondbacks were not done. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a single, and Jose Fernandez doubled him home to extend the lead to 4-2, chasing Rogers from the game. The left-hander was charged with all four runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out six.

That outburst made a winner of Merrill Kelly (1-0), who navigated 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball. The Orioles struck first in the second inning when rookie catcher Samuel Basallo led off with a solo home run, his third of the year, to center field. Baltimore added another run in the third without a hit, as Kelly issued three walks, including a bases-loaded free pass to Leody Taveras that forced in Taylor Ward.

Kelly limited the damage by striking out Dylan Beavers and getting Colton Cowser to fly out sharply to center with the bases loaded to end the threat. He exited in the sixth after a leadoff walk, having allowed five hits and three walks while striking out three.

The Arizona bullpen took over from there, with Taylor Clarke, Ryan Thompson and Paul Sewald combining for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief. Clarke recorded five outs, Thompson got a key out in the eighth, and Sewald worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save.

Baltimore mounted its most serious threat in the eighth inning against Thompson. Pete Alonso drew a walk after a successful challenge overturned a strike call, and Basallo followed with a single. After a force out put runners at the corners with two outs, Taveras delivered an RBI single to center, scoring Alonso and cutting the deficit to 4-3. Cowser then walked to load the bases, but Thompson induced an inning-ending groundout from Jeremiah Jackson to preserve the lead.

The Orioles’ bullpen, after Rogers’ departure, was stellar. Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram and Yennier Cano combined for 4 1/3 perfect innings, striking out seven consecutive Diamondbacks batters at one point from the sixth into the eighth. Arizona managed just one baserunner after the fifth inning, a single by McCann in the ninth, but could not add an insurance run.

Arizona finished with 10 hits, led by two-hit games from Perdomo, McCann and Fernandez. Baltimore collected seven hits, with Basallo’s homer and single leading the way.

The most important part of the game was Vargas’s three-run homer in the fifth inning. It transformed a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead, providing all the runs Arizona would need. The swing came after Rogers had largely contained the Diamondbacks’ lineup and immediately after Baltimore had taken its two-run lead. It shifted all momentum to the visitors and set the stage for the bullpen’s closing effort.

The teams conclude their series Wednesday afternoon. Arizona will look to win the series before returning home to face Toronto, while Baltimore embarks on a lengthy road trip to Cleveland and Kansas City.