BALTIMORE (Interstat) — Ildemaro Vargas hit a three-run homer in a four-run fifth inning, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles led 2-0 on an RBI single by Leody Taveras in the second and a solo home run from Samuel Basallo in the third. Arizona erased the deficit in the fifth against Trevor Rogers (2-1). After a Jose Fernandez RBI double, Vargas connected for his two-run shot. Baltimore pulled within one in the eighth on another Taveras RBI single, but Paul Sewald pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save. Merrill Kelly (1-0) earned the win, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Arizona improved to 10-8, while Baltimore fell to 9-8. Attendance was 13,524.

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.

Diamondbacks, Orioles Set for Pitching Duel After Slugfest BALTIMORE (Interstat) — After a combined 16 runs and 25 hits in Monday’s series opener, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles are set for a potential pitchers’ duel Tuesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles (9-7) outlasted the Diamondbacks (9-8) 9-7 on Monday, powered by a pair of two-homer, five-RBI performances. Baltimore second baseman Jeremiah Jackson and Arizona third baseman Nolan Arenado each accomplished the feat in a game that saw six total home runs. Tuesday’s forecast calls for clear skies and 79-degree temperatures at first pitch, with Arizona looking to even the series behind right-hander Merrill Kelly. Baltimore will counter with left-hander Trevor Rogers (2-0). Arenado, who is batting .429 (6 for 14) with three home runs and eight RBIs over his last four games, remains a central figure in the Diamondbacks’ lineup. Jackson, coming off his huge Monday performance, has been hot for Baltimore, hitting .417 (5 for 12) with three homers and seven RBIs in his last three games. Both teams enter with identical winning records, though the Orioles hold a slight edge in winning percentage. According to National Statistical’s ELO system, Arizona has a narrow 51.2% probability to win, projecting a 6-5 Diamondbacks victory. However, sportsbooks list Baltimore as a -1.5 run favorite with an over/under of 8 runs. The game is the second of a brief two-game interleague set. Arizona will head home to face Toronto after Wednesday’s finale, while Baltimore embarks on a seven-game road trip to Cleveland and Kansas City.