Major League Baseball youth programs Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) and Wanna Play? hosted several local and national youth on Saturday prior to Game 3 of the World Series in St. Louis.

Three Nationals players — Stephen Strasburg, Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper — had minor surgery recently, and all are expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Here are five storylines to watch for in Game 3 of the World Series.

The Tigers interviewed Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach on Friday in Detroit, making him the second candidate to interview for the opening created by Jim Leyland’s retirement.

There have been several points when the Red Sox played poorly enough that people doubted them. But when they were pushed, they pushed back — every single time.

The Red Sox clearly boast a championship pedigree, with previous winners like David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino making up a big chunk of the roster. But there’s also a rather large segment that falls on the opposite side of that.

A lineup without Daniel Nava lasted for an eternity in Red Sox Nation, but in real World Series time it was just two games. Manager John Farrell announced Friday that Nava will start in left Saturday night in Game 3 at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium

When it came to deciding who would start at first base in Game 3, when the Red Sox lose the designated hitter, manager John Farrell naturally chose David Ortiz, who, even at the age of 37, remains the most impactful hitter on the Red Sox.

The Giants officially announced a two-year, $35-million deal with Tim Lincecum on Friday, keeping the right-hander with the club that selected him 10th overall in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

What the Cardinals are now is a byproduct of the makeover chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. began back in 2003, when he realized that depending heavily on outside talent through free agency and trades was a practice that would not thrive in the long term. The Cards were on a path to depleting their farm system, and DeWitt was convinced that change was imperative.

Jake Peavy can tell you Saturday night will be just another start. He can wax on about how the game is the same when you step between the lines and tell you that he attacks every outing with the same ferocity, be it a getaway day in June or, in this case, Game 3 of the World Series from a sold-out Busch Stadium. But he’s been around long enough to know that isn’t the case.

Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith was at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis on Friday to lift sick kids’ spirits as part of MLB’s fifth annual World Series community initiative program.

For an offense that has lived and died all season with big swings and power production up and down the lineup, strikeouts have become an accepted part of the Red Sox’s identity. When they are knocking balls out of the park, as they did regularly in scoring a league-best 853 runs this season, no one seems to notice or care. When they are scuffling a bit, as they have at points this postseason, the Red Sox still don’t dwell on it.

The first one-day break in the action came to the 109th World Series on Friday. Naturally, it was the perfect time for the speculating and strategizing to continue as the Road to the World Series moves forward,

Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy is playing in his first World Series. He knew better than most not to read too much into Carlos Beltran’s exit after banging into the right-field wall at Fenway Park in the second inning of Game 1 on Wednesday night.

The season started with Cards righty Joe Kelly sitting in the bullpen, hoping an inning would drop his way. Now he’s as dependable as anyone in big games. Kelly will make the biggest start of his season, against the Red Sox on Saturday in Game 3 of the World Series, which is tied 1-1 after two games at Fenway Park.

Shelby Miller won 15 games in the regular season, and Edward Mujica saved 37. Miller was one of three members of the Opening Day starting rotation to finish the season there, and Mujica inherited the ninth-inning role in May, stabilizing the bullpen with a career year. Their accomplishments were vital to the Cardinals advancing as far as they have, but now in the midst of the World Series, Miller and Mujica have been effectively shelved.