ST. LOUIS -- Based on the way the first two games of the World Series went, it's possible the St. Louis Cardinals concluded that the team making the most mistakes has the best chance of winning. They saw the Boston Red Sox make four errors in each of the first two games of the Series and still come away winners.

Why not, the Cardinals apparently reasoned, beat the Red Sox at their own game. But instead of making physical mistakes in the field like the Red Sox had, the Cardinals would make mental mistakes on the bases.

So after twice losing to a team that committed four errors, the Cardinals went out of their way to play the worst baseball possible.

And they succeeded.

But they still didn't win.

Three games into the 100th World Series, the Curse of the Bambino has all but been exorcised. With a 4-1 win, a victory far more decisive than the score indicated, the Red Sox lead the best-of-seven Series three games to none. They are one victory away from being the champions of baseball for the first time since 1918.

Should that happen, what are they going to talk about in New England?

The Cardinals, winners of 105 games during the regular season, are in the process of humiliating themselves, embarrassing the National League and exasperating their true-blue, love-the-Redbirds-no-matter-what fans. Although the St. Louis fans can still mount a thundering cheer for so mundane a play as a throw from medium center field that prevents a runner from tagging up and advancing from second to third, they also can show their temper. On two occasions, at least part of the crowd of 50,015 unleashed a torrent of boos on their beloved team.

One came on a baserunning blunder that could possibly be unmatched in World Series history.

In the third inning of a game in which they trailed, 1-0, the Cardinals had pitcher Jeff Suppan on third and Edgar Renteria on second with none out. Boston was playing its infield deep. Second baseman Mark Bellhorn had his heels just about on the outfield grass. When Larry Walker hit a grounder to Bellhorn, Suppan could have walked home because Bellhorn never looked at him. He fielded the ball and threw to first.

Suppan started toward home when the ball was hit, then turned and ran back toward third. He turned again and ran toward home. It was, of course, too late to go home. So he turned back to third. And, of course, it was too late and he was out on a throw from first baseman David Ortiz.

Manager Tony La Russa explained the gaffe by saying, "Jeff heard 'go, go,' and thought it was 'no, no.'

"You can't make those kind of mistakes in championship competition."

There might not have been a stupider play in baseball this season -- or any season.

The Cardinals did not have another baserunner until the ninth inning, when Walker hit a home run, the fourth St. Louis hit of the game.

Two innings before Suppan's blunder, Walker tried to tag up from third on a short fly ball to left field with one out. He was easily out at home on a throw from Manny Ramirez.

The Cardinals looked weak and flawed against the Red Sox. They've yet to lead in the Series. Their much-feared lineup has turned to jelly.

The four-five-six hitters -- Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders, who combined 98 home runs and 321 RBIs in the regular season, are 1 for 31 with one RBI. The lone hit was a bunt single by Edmonds. Their slightly above average starting rotation has not been able to handle the best lineup in baseball.

Boston starter Pedro Martinez was shaky in the first three innings but got out of jams because of the St. Louis mistakes on the bases. He put three runners on bases in the first and two in the third. But once settled, he was superb. He gave up three hits and two walks while striking out six in seven innings and clearly proved at least the Cardinals are not his daddy.

One loss away from total humiliation, the Cardinals must look to Jason Marquis, a pitcher who has an earned run average of 6.75 in his past three starts, a pitcher who is clearly out of gas as the result of having pitched 66 more inning than he ever has in his career. The Red Sox come back with Derek Lowe, who shut down the Yankees in the seventh game of the ALCS.

The Red Sox are in exactly the same position the Yankees were -- ahead 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. They know what can happen.

"I think you can understand why we'd never be overconfident," manager Terry Francona said.

But if ever there was a team to inspire overconfidence, it's the Cardinals.