The thing about setting forth on a season with a goal to seek opportunities and information for the future is that not all answers will be affirmative.

There will be "maybe" and "not likely" and "no" mixed in.

Those are answers, too.

With nine games remaining on the “runway” in their regular season, the Cardinals did not get the widespread results from their investment of playing time in young players. But that does not mean they will start the winter without answers. Their final home game against National League Central rival Cincinnati — a 6-2 loss Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium — underscored areas where the Cardinals have made progress, where they still have competition and where on the roster questions and uncertainty still linger.

Alec Burleson put the Cardinals ahead early

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