That’s what he’s said a few times about his Cardinals debut.

Last week, in Pittsburgh, Leake struggled to find a feel for any of pitches and allowed four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Three of those runs came in the fifth inning of his start, and two of them came on a Frisbee slider that was meant to bend outside the strike zone. Instead, it floated flat and happy over the middle of the plate. Francisco Cervelli drilled it for a double — as it would have been the case in any ballpark.

“I wasn’t giving myself much of a chance that day,” he said.

Leake’s pace was off from the beginning of that start as he and catcher Yadier Molina searched for pitches he could trust. Before ground balls are the giveaway that Leake has his game working, his rhythm is. The athletic righthander prospers when he’s working fast — catch and release, catch and release. He had difficulty finding his grip on the ball in Pittsburgh and he slowed the game as a result, sometimes taking extended pauses between pitches.