Their edges may be dulled somewhat

ST. LOUIS -- No designated hitter tonight.

Edge, St. Louis. Right?

"Maybe," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa after yesterday's brief and voluntary off-day workout.

La Russa said National League teams have a built-in edge because the American League pitchers have not batted all year, perhaps not even in their careers.

But the Red Sox are starting Pedro Martinez tonight.

"I think as a matter of making a general statement, the National League club has the edge," said La Russa. "I think we're going to lose some of that because Pedro Martinez has pitched in the National League [Los Angeles and Montreal] and is used to handling the bat and doing all the things a National League pitcher has to do."

La Russa acknowledged that David Ortiz, the Red Sox regular DH, also has played first base this season, so while it may be a bit of an adventure in the field for Ortiz, it may not be as overwhelming as the Cardinals would like.

"That's not his favorite position," said La Russa, "but you can't try to hit ground balls to first. But it's an advantage to us, just like the crowd is.

"The important advantage is if our hitters have good at-bats against Martinez and [St. Louis starter Jeff] Suppan is sharp against their hitters. That's the edge we really need."'

La Russa said it comes down to basics, especially pitching, which hasn't been the Cardinals' strong suit so far. In the first two games, Cardinals pitchers have walked 14 and hit three more batters with pitches. The Red Sox have scored 17 runs, 16 of them earned. Eight of Boston's runs were scored by batters who either walked or were hit by a pitch.

"We've got to do to them like they did to us," said La Russa. "I don't think we executed like we had to, for whatever the reasons."

Catching fire
One of the most shocking developments in the Series thus far: Catcher Mike Matheny, who is known more for his defense, is the only Cardinal to hit safely in Games 1 and 2 . . . No real change on the condition of second baseman Tony Womack, who has battled a series of injuries in the postseason but has kept playing. Womack's latest injury came in Game 1 when a bad-hop grounder ricocheted off his collarbone. Womack complained of stiffness but played in Game 2. Womack battled back spasms in the NL Championship Series against Houston. "He came for treatment," said La Russa. "I think he's sore, but he's going to play."

Sneak preview
Even though Jason Marquis threw an inning in Game 2 of Sunday night's 6-2 loss, La Russa said the righthander would be the starter in Game 4 tomorrow night. "One of the bright spots is Jason got a chance to get in there and make some pitches," La Russa said. "He pitches better when he's had some activity. So now he'll take his two days and will be the Game 4 pitcher." . . . If the Cardinals make it back to Boston for Games 6 or 7, a key question will be where they stay. Their stay last weekend at the Quincy Marriott was anything but smooth. Taking a suggestion from the Red Sox, the Cardinals housed themselves in Quincy and it was anything but a fun experience. There was no late-night room service and there were traffic problems. Conversely, the Red Sox are staying at the Adam's Mark Hotel, which is a two-minute bus ride from Busch Stadium.