DENVER, Apr. 7 \u2014 The Colorado Rockies<\/a> had a late chance to take the lead but fell short in their rally, dropping their series finale to the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>, 3\u20132, Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot<\/a><\/strong> thwarted the Rockies at every turn. He allowed only three hits, walking none and striking out eleven across six scoreless innings. \u201cIt reminded me of what (Rockies starting pitcher Ryan) Feltner<\/a><\/strong> did yesterday<\/a>,\u201d Rockies manager Bud Black<\/a><\/strong> said. \u201cA good fastball that played today, moved it around the zone. He had a good slider and a good change. Pitched aggressively with the fastball. And he beat us, at times, with the fastball in the strike zone. So that tells me he had a little life to it, and he had enough secondary stuff to keep us off balance.\u201d<\/p>\n Pepiot, who spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>, outdueled Rockies starting pitcher Dakota Hudson<\/a><\/strong>. Hudson also tossed six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out four.<\/p>\n For the 16th game in a row, the Rockies\u2019 opponent scored first. It happened with two outs in the top of the second, when Jose Caballero<\/a><\/strong> and Austin Shenton<\/a><\/strong> cracked consecutive doubles off Hudson. Jose Siri<\/a><\/strong> made the lead 2\u20130 with a follow-up RBI single. In the third, an Isaac Paredes<\/a><\/strong> single through a drawn-in infield made it 3\u20130.<\/p>\n The teams traded zeroes until the bottom of the eighth. Jake Cave<\/a><\/strong> opened with a pinch-hit triple to right-center off Phil Maton<\/a><\/strong> and scored on a follow-up single by Elias Diaz<\/a><\/strong>. Walks by Charlie Blackmon<\/a><\/strong> and Ezequiel Tovar<\/a><\/strong> loaded the bases with nobody out. In came Shawn Armstrong<\/a><\/strong>, who got Ryan McMahon<\/a><\/strong> to bounce into a 5\u20132 fielder\u2019s choice and got Kris Bryant<\/a><\/strong> to ground into an inning-ending 6\u20134\u20133 double play.<\/p>\n Jones led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and advanced to second on a groundout. Doyle drove him in with a single to right. That brought up Cave with one out and the tying run on first. After he struck out looking on a pitch that appeared to be inside, Diaz grounded to third for the game-ending out.<\/p>\n Hudson gave the Rockies their second straight Quality Start. He allowed three runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out four. His loss goes down as a Tough Loss, meaning he took the loss despite notching a Quality Start. A starting pitcher\u2019s job is to give his team a chance to win, and Hudson certainly did that.<\/p>\n The Rockies played sound defense. Alan Trejo<\/a><\/strong> made a full-extension diving stop at second base, robbing Yandy Diaz<\/a><\/strong> of a hit in the top of the seventh. Ryan McMahon corralled a tough hop and fired in time to nab Jose Caballero for the third out of the eighth. With the runner on first, Richie Palacios<\/a><\/strong>, going on the pitch, the Rays would have had runners on the corners had McMahon not come up with it. Brenton Doyle robbed Diaz in the ninth, also making a diving stop before gunning him down for the third out.<\/p>\n Tyler Kinley<\/a><\/strong> and Victor Vodnik<\/a><\/strong> both had scoreless outings. Vodnik is the only pitcher in the majors with at least seven innings pitched who has yet to give up a run.<\/p>\n The Rockies only managed three baserunners off Pepiot. They reached base by way of two singles and a double.<\/p>\n The Rockies loaded the bases with nobody out after already scoring a run. But they squandered the opportunity to tie the game or take the lead, losing the runner on third on a fielder\u2019s choice groundout and ending the inning on a ground-ball double play.<\/p>\nRockies \u2013 Rays Game Summary<\/h3>\n
What Went Right for the Rockies<\/h3>\n
Starting Pitching<\/h4>\n
Defense<\/h4>\n
Relief Pitching<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for the Rockies<\/h3>\n
Lack of Early Offensive Production<\/h4>\n
Missed Opportunity in the Eighth<\/h4>\n
Quick Hits<\/h3>\n