DENVER -- When right-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson and catcher Jacob Stallings discussed Coors Field, which they’d experienced as visitors but this year would navigate as newbie Rockies, they focused on ground balls -- which can be good, until they are not.

The idea was that even if good pitches found holes in the defense, the plan was to keep pitching for weak contact. Hudson followed that script while holding the Rays to three runs on seven hits in six innings of work in the Rockies’ 3-2 loss at Coors Field on Sunday afternoon.

Both starts this season have brought hard luck for Hudson, who didn’t give up an earned run but took the loss after a key error in a start at Wrigley Field on April 1. This time, Hudson was done in at times with well-placed ground balls. He also was outpitched by Rays starter Ryan Pepiot, who threw six scoreless innings, allowed just three hits and racked up 11 of the 15 strikeouts by Tampa Bay’s pitchers.

“It’s the big leagues,” Hudson said. “If a guy goes out there and has a good day, it doesn’t mean you fold your tent. I was just trying to battle and put our guys in a position where we were one swing away, and we got that late in the game.”

After pinch-hitter Jake Cave tripled off Rays reliever Phil Maton to lead off the eighth inning and scored on Elias Díaz’s single, the Rockies loaded the bases with no outs. But reliever Shawn Armstrong induced a Ryan McMahon grounder for a forceout at the plate, then forced Kris Bryant to roll into an inning-ending double play. In the ninth, Brenton Doyle singled in a run with one out, but Armstrong struck out Cave and forced a Díaz groundout to end the game.

Thus, the Rockies dropped their third straight series. This one a home-opening set that saw them win the opener on McMahon’s walk-off home run, unable to expand a lead (then subsequently losing it) on Saturday night and failing to deliver the big hit on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s just bringing it together as a team,” Hudson said. “You have ups and downs. Whenever our pitchers aren't pitching, we need a couple runs. Whenever our hitters aren't scoring, we’ve got to have more zeros. So it's just really about syncing up and finding a way to do it.”

The inability to sync is a major part of the definition of a struggling club. However, if the Rockies want to find some solace, they can look to the starting pitching in their first home series as an initial small step.

In Friday’s home opener, Austin Gomber needed 89 pitches to complete just four innings, but he fanned seven and gave up just two runs. On Saturday, Ryan Feltner struck out 10 batters in six innings.

Hudson’s quality start could be the next building block, although to keep it going Kyle Freeland must shake off his tough beginning to the season when he faces the Diamondbacks at Coors on Monday night.

“We didn't beat ourselves today on the mound,” said manager Bud Black, whose team received solid bullpen work from Victor Vodnik (two innings) and Tyler Kinley (one) on Sunday. “So hopefully Kyle can come up tomorrow and pitch another good game to back up these last two from Feltner and Hudson.”

With two outs in the second, José Caballero bounced a double over third base and Austin Shenton dribbled another double past first base for a 1-0 Rays lead. It marked the 16th straight game the Rockies gave up the game’s first run -- a club record, and the longest such streak in the Majors since the Giants fell behind in 16 straight, June 28-July 17, 1989. Jose Siri’s rolling single through the middle made it 2-0.

Giving up runs that way can be maddening, but it wasn’t unexpected, as Stallings and Hudson discussed.

“All three runs were, in some form or fashion, ground balls just through the infield,” Stallings said. “He and I talked a lot in Spring Training about that. He’s got to be a guy that throws strikes and gets the ball on the ground. There are going to be days where a few of them find holes and we give up runs. Of course, we talked about it as more of a bulk thing [rather than balls rolling through all in an afternoon].

“There wasn’t a ton of hard contact today.”