The one-sided nature of Braden Looper's 8-2 loss Sunday was not all that unusual when you consider the scores of his 12 defeats last year.
Other than 2-1 and 7-6 setbacks, Looper lost by scores of 10-0, 12-2, 14-4, 8-2, 9-3, 14-3, 14-6, 15-1, 18-1 and 9-1. "He had a really bad day," said manager Tony La Russa. "He had a rough time of it.
"I just don't think he was really sharp and they took advantage."
It was Looper's first daytime start this year after he had gone 7-1 with a 1.82 earned-run average in daytime games last year. Conversely, Looper was 5-11 with a 6.75 ERA at night last year and he is 3-0 at night with a 2.70 ERA this season.
The Cardinals already have lost their first season series. The loss Sunday was their fourth in seven games with the Giants, whom they don't play again this season.
The Cardinals now begin a 13-game stretch inside their own division in the next two weeks, playing Milwaukee and Pittsburgh twice apiece and meeting Houston, Cincinnati and Chicago three times each.
GIANTS 8, CARDINALS 2: RHP Braden Looper was concerned about walking five batters in five innings in his last start. So, on Sunday, he walked nobody but gave up six runs in the third inning, including a two-run homer by RF John Bowker.
"That six-run inning took a little starch out of us," said manager Tony La Russa. The Cardinals scored twice in the ninth to avoid being blanked in back-to-back games for the first time since 1995.
