THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007 SPORTS 5B MLB Cardinals rely on Looper for change Jeff Roberson/ASSOCIATED PRESS Former closer pitcher Braden Looper finds success opening for St. Louis St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Braden Looper walks around the mound during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday in St. Louis. A need in the rotation prompted the St. Louis Cardinals to convert the former closer to a starter after 572 major league relief appearances and 103 saves. BY R.B. FALLSTROM ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. LOUIS — Three starts into his new career as a starting pitcher, there's no looking back for Braden Looper. A pressing need in the rotation prompted the St. Louis Cardinals to convert the former closer to long work after 572 major league relief appearances and 103 saves. Looper likes everything about his new role: the worry-free days in between starts, the chance to flesh out his repertoire, the realization this is where he can make a difference for the World Series champions. "I didn't do this to make 10 starts and then go back to the bullpen," Looper said. "This is what I want to do now, and I'm extremely comfortable doing it. And, I enjoy it a lot." "The No. 1 thing you want to do with every player is what benefits the team the most." So far, pitching coach Dave Duncan's brainstorm is a success. Looper gets his next chance to build on that on Friday at San Francisco. "He's got real talent and he's going about it right," manager Tony La Russa said. "If you're just taking one for the team, you don't have the same kind of motivation." La Russa stops short of calling it a permanent move, pointing out needs constantly change. "We plan to leave him alone," the manager said. "But who knows TONY LA RUSSA Manager what's going to be thrown at you? "The No. 1 thing you want to do with every player is what benefits the team the most." Positive results have helped shed the notion that this is an experiment. Looper is 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA, getting the only victory in the just-completed 1-3 homestand, and has quickly become comfortable with the endurance aspect of starting by working six or more innings in all three outings His latest start also was evidence that he can succeed with less than perfect command. After,giving up two runs on three hits to the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning on Sunday, Looper allowed only two harmless hits and no more runs his last five innings. This, despite starting off 10 straight batters with a ball between the second and fifth innings and throwing strike one to only eight of 25 batters overall. That count puts the hitter at the advantage, and yet Looper found ways to retire them. One of the ways was to rely on his defense. He struck out only three while benefiting from left fielder Chris Duncan's leaping catch at the track to rob Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets and another nice running catch by right fielder Preston Wilson. year" Looper said. "I'm not a guy who's going to strike out a ton of guys, but when we have a defense as good as we have, I probably should let them do their job." To scuffle, overcoming early trouble and a perceived tight strike zone, and yet still succeed, was a nice confidence boost. The Brewers didn't get any spring previews of Looper since they train in Arizona and the Cardinals' base is Jupiter, Fla. They noticed a pronounced difference in the former closer. "He's not throwing as hard as he used to, and he uses that to his advantage," Bill Hall said. "He was very effective." "I'm definitely pleased with the way things have gone, but I'm not going to dwell on it." Looper said. GOLF Wichita-area golf course to host Pro-Am event GOLF NEWTON — Newton's Sand Creek Station golf course will host a professional-amateur event this summer. The 2007 Wichita Open will host a pro-aim tournament July 31 at the new course. The tournament will pair area amateurs with members of the PGA Nationwide Tour participating in the Wichita Open, which starts two days later. "It's a very competitive industry," Sand Creek Station general manager Chris Touhey said. "We have a relationship with the Nationwide Tour now. It puts us in a class with nobody else." The Wichita Open started in 1990 and runs Aug. 2-5 this year at the Crestview Country Club. The nationwide tour is golf's AAA tour. Wichita Open tournament director Roy Turner said the Newton event is the first time the Wichita Open has gone off site. Chiefs sign back-up kicker who played at N.M. NFL KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs signed kicker Aaron Barret to a two-year contract Tuesday. Barret played football at New Mexico and Hawaii. He appeared in three games for the Bakersfield Blitz of Arena Football League 2 last season. Barret is expected to back up Lawrence Tynes, a restricted free agent who signed a one-year contract offer from the Chiefs. MLB Haren picks up first win as A's knock off Angels MLB OAKLAND, Calif. — Dan Haren outpitched John Lackey for his first win of the season and Eric Chavez drove in two runs to help the Oakland Athletics beat the injury-depleted Angels 3-0 on Wednesday, handing Los Angeles its sixth straight loss. Nick Swisher also drove in a run for the As. The Angels' offensive woes continued without their top two hitters. Vladimir Guerrero and Howie Kendrick were both out of the lineup after getting hit by pitches. They flew back to Los Angeles to see a hand specialist. Haren (1-2) allowed four hits in seven sharp innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out three in a game that took just 2 hours, 9 minutes. Huston Street earned his fourth save. Lackey (2-2) lost to the A's for only the third time in 20 career starts. He allowed three runs over seven innings. Orioles beat Devil Rays, move to 8-4 on season ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Erik Bedard won his third straight start, Kevin Millar lift a tiebreaking double and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay. Miller's fifth-inning double off Gary Glover (0-1) gave Baltimore a 4-3 lead. Miller then scored to make it 5-3 when Jon Knott, who singled, was tagged out in a rundown between first and second. Nick Markakis homered for the Orioles, who won twice in the three-game series. Baltimore is 8-4 since being swept in a three-game series at Minnesota. Bedard (3-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. He struck out eight. Chris Ray fanned all three batters in the ninth for his fifth save. Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir departed after throwing 100 pitches through four innings. Rocco Baldelli hit a leadoff homer for the D瓦 Rays. 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