Cards' Lohse iffy for next start

5/15/2008 6:10 PM

ST. LOUIS (AP) -St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Kyle Lohse, whose ERA has more than doubled in May after a 3-0 April, said Thursday that tightness in the back of his shoulder has made it difficult to get loose.

Lohse skipped a bullpen session on Thursday and cut short the bullpen session prior to his last start on Tuesday. But he said he'd be able to make his next start on Sunday.

``I've just been a little sore the last couple of starts, and we're just taking precautions and making sure it doesn't get any worse,'' he said. ``It's just been a little rough getting loosened up, but once I get going it's all right.''

Lohse was 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA in April, but has allowed 19 earned runs in 17 innings this month and now has an ERA of 4.91. He signed a one-year, $4.25 million free agent deal with the Cardinals in mid-March.

He allowed four runs in seven innings of an 8-4 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday.

``I don't think it's too big of a deal,'' said Lohse, shaking his head as a large knot of reporters crowded around him. ``Not this big of a deal.''