They call it the “Cardinals Way.” And as St. Louis prepares for its fourth World Series appearance in the last 10 years, it has come to stand for Midwestern common sense, thrift through building from within, slow and steady wins the race.

Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright has been hoping for this moment since the day he arrived in Jupiter, Fla., earlier this year and discovered that the zip had returned to his fastball, and the bite to his offspeed stuff. It is with his weapons fully restored that the right-hander will take the mound Wednesday night at Fenway Park in Game 1 for his first career start in the World Series.

Perhaps the most important element of the Cardinals’ offense in the World Series will be whether Allen Craig’s so-called clutchness — be it in the DH slot in Games 1 or 2 or in a pinch-hit capacity back at Busch Stadium — shows any signs of rust.

The Reds promoted Bryan Price from pitching coach to manager on Tuesday and introduced him during a news conference at Great American Ball Park. Price, 51, was Cincinnati’s pitching coach for the past four seasons and replaces Dusty Baker.

It is far too early to speculate about the potential of Roger McDowell not returning to the Braves next year, but his success as Atlanta’s pitching coach makes him a candidate to make the transition from pitching coach to big league manager.

The Dodgers dismissed Don Mattingly’s bench coach, Trey Hillman, and advance scout Wade Taylor on Tuesday.

Major League Baseball announced its World Series lineup of community themes on Tuesday, marking the fifth consecutive year it will use its greatest stage as a platform to raise global awareness for important causes and leave a special imprint on two metropolitan areas.

In the language of the offseason, the Bucs are “in control.” With only a couple of significant exceptions, the club has a contractual hold over every member of the cast that contributed to a 94-win season.

If you’re looking for the best reason the Red Sox can win this World Series, it’s not in the ballpark or the bullpen or any of the numbers. It’s that this club, these guys with their beards and their talk of family, has some magic going for it.

After playing at three levels in 2013, White Sox prospect Micah Johnson is continuing to work on the finer points of stealing bases, not to mention hitting, against more advanced pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

The Cardinals have the capability to negate the Red Sox’s home-field advantage by following and building upon the blueprint the Tigers created. St. Louis can win because they have the arms and bats to tactically neutralize a fellow 97-game winner.

John Hirschbeck will serve as crew chief for the 2013 World Series, which begins Wednesday night in Boston with Game 1 in Fenway Park at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

The Twins added a Hall of Famer to their Major League coaching staff on Tuesday, as the club announced Paul Molitor will serve as a coach in 2014.

John Farrell has a rare opportunity. If his Red Sox can defeat the Cardinals in a World Series that begins on Wednesday night with Game 1 in Fenway Park at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX, he’d be only the fifth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to manage a team to the title.

While it’s easy to say the Cardinals’ remarkable run of success from 2001-2011 — a run that included three World Series berths and two titles — wouldn’t have happened without Albert Pujols, it’s just as easy to say that this latest late-October endeavor wouldn’t have happened with him.

There is no logical way to anticipate if a player from the Boston or St. Louis rosters will author a performance under the bright lights comparable to the feats of these October legends. What we can do is reach into the imagination to identify names that plausibly might emerge, factoring in the profiles of Kirk Gibson, Joe Carter and Josh Beckett.

Torii Hunter has hit and robbed plenty of home runs throughout his 17-year career. One of the highlights of his time in the big leagues, however, is sharing those moments with his four sons.