Wainwright hopes to regain April form

~ The Cards' ace said he expects better than his last outing.

ST. LOUIS -- Great escapes got Adam Wainwright through the first month of the season unbeaten.

The St. Louis Cardinals' right-hander wasn't so fortunate in his first May start, giving up seven runs in six innings during a loss to the Phillies on Tuesday night. It spoiled what he believed was his best stuff of the year.

"He had done well enough before that, but it had been precarious," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Wednesday. "I think he had to look at yesterday and say 'Whoops.' That's going to happen sooner or later unless he gets more efficient."

Wainwright was the Cardinals' opening-day starter and was 3-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his first five outings while working around 28 hits and 18 walks in 29 1/3 innings. He walked five in two of those starts.

Wainwright appeared poised for a breakthrough season after going 11-3 last year despite missing almost three months with a finger injury. But he's had only one start thus far that has measured up to the standards of the pitcher who got the final out of the 2006 World Series.

"I haven't pitched bad, let's say that to begin with," Wainwright said. "I've made pitches all year long with guys on base when I needed to, and that's part of pitching.

"But if you're going to get better, you've got to be honest, and I can pitch a lot better than I did."

How much better?

"I'm a great pitcher," Wainwright said. "I know that."

The Phillies had 11 baserunners against Wainwright, nine hits and two walks, and this time made him pay while snapping his nine-game winning streak dating to last season.

The Cardinals kept it close until the fifth when Wainwright pitched around Ryan Howard, walking him on four pitches not close to the strike zone, and then gave up a three-run homer to Jayson Werth that put Philadelphia ahead 7-3.

The way he pitched in April, Wainwright would have wriggled off that hook and kept it close for an offense that scored five runs in 5 1/3 innings off Brett Myers. Not this time, with the Phillies going down in order only once during Wainwright's stint.

"When you've got too many ducks on the pond, eventually someone's going to score," Wainwright said. "Eventually someone's going to find a hole.

"Our team had battled back, we had the top of the lineup coming up and I had to get a shutdown there and I didn't do it."

Wainwright is taking the game as a reality check.

"Maybe this is good for me," he said. "When I'm on the mound and stuff like that is going on, I honestly am saying, 'What in the world is going on? How could this be happening?'

"I'm better than that and I will be better. I'll be good, I'll be very good."

Wainwright didn't think he threw enough fastballs and faulted himself for not making hitters adjust during Tuesday's game. He said if he'll just take what he's done in side sessions into each game then everything will be fine.

"I want to yell at myself in front of you all and make a fool out of myself because I'm frustrated," Wainwright told reporters. "But at the same time, I know I'm a pitch away from coming out of this and being really good."