Wainwright left frustrated by early blip

ST. LOUIS — It may have all unfolded much differently for Adam Wainwright with one more borderline pitch called in his favor, a little more outfield coverage bailing him out, or even a quicker reaction time snuffing a rally before it snowballed. But what could have been wasn’t, and a first-inning sequence of near misses turned into one that lasted 39 pitches and put the Cardinals in a hole from which they’d never emerge.

Down by three after the first inning and six by the end of two, Wainwright steadied himself to give the club a needed six-inning start, but nevertheless left the Cardinals to shoulder a 6-3 loss to the Braves on Sunday.

It marked the first time since June 27 that the Cardinals’ ace lost.

“I knew I had good stuff, and I knew I was commanding the ball pretty well,” said Wainwright, whose ERA swelled to 4.34. “That was a frustrating game, no doubt. We needed to win that game. I’m sorry we didn’t. That was my fault. The luck was certainly not on my side today, and sometimes you need it.”

What was nearly a clean, 11-pitch first inning turned into one of the more laborious …

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