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Denver, Colorado Local News

Rockies strike out 15 times, lose to Rays, drop to 2-8

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The Mighty Casey would have felt right at home Sunday afternoon at Coors Field.

The Rockies struck out 15 times in a gut-punch 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay and have opened the season with a 2-8 record.

Still, Colorado had a prime opportunity to win the game in the eighth and ninth innings.

In the eighth, Jake Cave led off with a pinch-hit triple and scored on Elias Diaz’s pinch-hit single. Charlie Blackmon and Ezequiel Tovar drew walks from erratic Tampa Bay reliever Phil Maton to load the bases. But Shawn Armstrong got Ryan McMahon to ground out to shortstop Isaac Paredes, who threw home for the force out.

Then Armstrong induced Kris Bryant to ground into a rally-killing, six-to-three double play. Bryant went 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday and is hitting .107 for the season.

In the ninth, Brenton Doyle’s RBI single scored Nolan Jones, but Armstrong struck out Cave and got Diaz to ground out to third.

Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot, making just the 12th start of his career, thoroughly dominated Colorado for six innings. He allowed no runs on three hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks. He got the Rockies to swing and miss 21 times.

Pepiot owns the Rockies. In three career games (two starts), he’s 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA, 26 strikeouts and two walks.

Right-hander Dakota Hudson gave the Rockies a workmanlike performance for his second game in a row. The Rays reached him for three runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out three.

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Patrick Saunders

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