Stop that: Suppan has unexpectedly taken on the stopper role

Over the past two seasons, the veteran right-hander is 12-1 after a loss.

ST. LOUIS -- Before signing a free-agent deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, Jeff Suppan was 13 games below .500 for his career.

Now he's become something of a stopper.

Suppan carried a two-hitter into the ninth inning of his last start on Friday, helping to end a three-game losing streak in which other members of the rotation had pitched a combined 9 1-3 innings. That's been his calling card with the Cardinals, for whom he's 12-1 the last two seasons when pitching after a loss.

Last fall he also pitched the clinching victory in the division series and the NL championship series while going a career-best 16-9.

"He's picked us up so many times," manager Tony La Russa said. "He's got that ability to rise to the occasion. He was a master out there."

Suppan, who's 7-6 with a 4.14 ERA, said he's never taken notice of that trend. In any case, he sees no need to put extra pressure on himself.

"If you take that approach that I've got to do this, it creates extra tension," Suppan said. "I want to be relaxed and I want to have the least amount of tension possible."

Suppan believes when he's in a relaxed mode instead of hyperventilating over a showdown, he gets better movement on his pitches. So that's his strategy whether he's pitching after a victory or an 11-7 loss, like he was Friday against his former team.

"I want to stay in the game longer, so how am I going to do it?" Suppan said. "The only thing I can do is throw the best game I can throw."

Against the Pirates, he was calm and collected in 94-degree heat. Suppan was the only one on either team wearing long sleeves, a habit he's developed no matter the weather, and never changed his uniform top.

"I try to sweat a lot," Suppan said. "I feel more comfortable. It keeps me feeling all right, I guess."

Suppan, whose next start comes Thursday against the Rockies, pitched for Pittsburgh in 2003. His shutout in July in St. Louis convinced the Cardinals to sign him to a two-year, $6 million free-agent deal in the offseason.

Last year he was especially tough on the road, winning 10 straight road decisions before losing in his final start. He barely missed becoming only the third pitcher in major league history to go unbeaten on the road with a double-digit victory total. Jimmy Key was 10-0 in 1994 for the Yankees and Greg Maddux was 13-0 for the 1995 Braves.

He's won 10 or more games and pitched 200 innings five of the last six seasons. And he baffled the Pirates with a four-pitch assortment, even though his curveball wasn't consistent.

"Soup is a good pitcher," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I had him, I should know. I know what he can do and when he's pitching like he did (Friday) he can carve guys up.

"He's in and out, balls are moving both ways up and down, and he's changing speeds."

A day after the game, Suppan knew he had been on. During the game, it was a different story.

"They ask you, 'Do you know you had it?"' Suppan said. "It was one of those things that you feel when you're ahead of the count and you're able to expand the zone.

"Looking back, I did pretty well."