ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols' departure to the disabled list has left a gaping hole on the lineup card, but manager Tony La Russa is not even close to making excuses.

Entering Wednesday night's game against the Royals, the Cardinals were 3-3 since Pujols hit the DL. But after the Royals' late-inning 3-2 comeback win in St. Louis, chalk up loss No. 4 sans El Hombre.

"The games count, even when Albert doesn't play," La Russa said. "You cannot give in to it."

During that time, however, the Cardinals offense has appeared to fall under a rock or gone into hiding somewhere. Without Pujols, the Cardinals have been unable to score more than three runs in five of their last six games.

Losing Pujols' powerful bat and intimidation at the plate has made manufacturing runs that much more important. Four times in Wednesday's game the Cardinals used the hit-and-run, successfully executing the play twice.

"Trying everything we can," second baseman Adam Kennedy said.

Try as they might, a win was not in the cards for the Redbirds, who led through 7 1/3 innings behind Braden Looper's second straight sharp performance. But for the second straight night, it was the bullpen that faltered during a period when the Cardinals need the 'pen the most.

And like Tuesday night, it only took one swing of the bat to dramatically change the game.

Kyle McClellan, normally one of the Cardinals' shutdown relievers, entered the eighth to give Looper what would have been a team-leading nine wins. On a team that prides itself on playing mistake-free baseball, McClellan lost it on two pitches.

David DeJesus and Alex Gordon took advantage of McClellan's miscues and put them both over the outfield wall, giving the Royals a one run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. When a team like the Cardinals is struggling offensively, buying a run in the final two innings just does not happen.

Spoiling another quality outing from Looper was not exactly what McClellan had in mind.

"That's the thing that really gets to me, is that Looper pitched so well," McClellan said. "I feel like I just wasted that. That's the thing that just kills me, our starting pitcher goes out there and lays it on the line and I can't come in and get my job done."

It's not as if the Cardinals didn't have their chances, but they were chances they needed to take advantage of.

Chris Duncan led off the game with a single in the second -- his first hit in 12 at-bats -- and Looper tried to advance him with a hit-and-run. Looper swung and missed at on a 1-2 count, interfered with the catcher and Duncan was ruled out to end the inning.

Leading off the sixth inning, Ryan Ludwick hit a high fly ball into center field, which DeJesus lost in the lights, and stood on second when the dust settled. When Rick Ankiel flew out to left in the next at-bat, Ludwick bolted for third only to find Jose Guillen's throw waiting for him.

"I thought Ludwick's tag was the right play," La Russa said. "The guy caught the ball going backwards, he was at the fence and made a [nice] throw."

Even the sure-handed Kennedy had trouble. Trying to make a barehanded throw to first on a soft ground ball -- an out that would have ended the inning -- Kennedy double-clutched and threw late. Gordon advanced to third and later scored.

"I probably should have fielded it with my glove but I thought I was going to be a little closer than that," Kennedy said. "I just had a little more time than I thought."

The Cardinals are now 16-12 in one run games and 36-7 while leading after seven innings, but nights like Wednesday have to be avoided.

"They're hard to swallow because you need to win these games," Looper said. "JP [starter Joel Pineiro] pitched great yesterday and it would have been nice to win that one. ... You just have to go out there and put up zeroes, that's about all you can do."

With as many injuries, mistakes and the adversity the Cardinals have had to overcome throughout the year, they remarkably find themselves still plus-11 in the win column. The margin for error has become increasingly smaller and the next few weeks will certainly test that.

Having already lost a disappointing series to the Royals, the Cardinals' upcoming road trip becomes that much more important. But more importantly, the ship has to stay afloat until Pujols returns or the offense is rejuvenated.

"We know it's going to be tough without Albert," Kennedy said. "It hasn't killed us yet and we're still battling."