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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 鈥渕aybe鈥� and 鈥渘ot likely鈥� and 鈥渘o鈥� mixed in.

Those are answers, too.

With nine games remaining on the 鈥渞unway鈥� 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 鈥� a 6-2 loss Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium 鈥� 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 with a solo home run, his 18th of an assertive season that has seen him capitalize on playing time and secure his place, if he鈥檚 in the organization, in the 2026 lineup. Andre Pallante pitched five innings and allowed four runs on six hits. All four runs were influenced by the three walks he issued as he continues to experiment with ways to expand his pitch-to-contact style for more strikeouts.

A year spent in the rotation has put Pallante in the conversation for 2026, but the results have likely left him entering spring in competition for a spot.

鈥淣ow the ball is in his court to make adjustments,鈥� manager Oli Marmol said. 鈥淛ust because you have a bad year doesn鈥檛 mean you bail on the idea of him being a starter.鈥�

The final 2025 meeting between the Reds and Cardinals showed the thin line between a team that fancies itself in the wild-card race and one that, inch by inch, is receding from it. The win vaulted the Reds back to .500, at 76-76, and within earshot of the National League鈥檚 third wild-card berth. The Cardinals lost their third consecutive series and lost for the seventh time in their past nine games to slip to 74-79.

They could have tied the Reds in wins with a victory Wednesday.

Instead, they鈥檒l get an off-day Thursday before having to win seven of their final nine games to avoid a losing record.

Cincinnati鈥檚 Spencer Steer had five RBIs in Wednesday鈥檚 win and hit the three-run homer to pounce on two walks from Pallante and turn them into a lead. The Reds exploited opportunities that Pallante offered. The Cardinals offense, which lacked All-Stars Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras, did not have the depth to do so. The Cardinals went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Two of the featured young players entering this season are exiting with some of the familiar struggles: Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker combined to go 0 for eight with three strikeouts each.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have at-bats from young guys that don鈥檛 look up to par at times, and that鈥檚 part of being patient. It鈥檚 going to take time,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淪ome guys are sticking to the process and not having results. Some guys are reverting back to bad habits. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 hard for me to answer as a blanket statement. It is super-individual in what we鈥檙e seeing right now. There are certain guys where the results aren鈥檛 there, but we like how they鈥檙e going about it.

鈥淭here are certain guys where the game starts and there鈥檚 a little bit of hitting the panic button,鈥� the manager continued, 鈥渁nd reverting back to what鈥檚 comfortable.鈥�

That is where Burleson鈥檚 strides have stood out.

Urged to embrace being uncomfortable at the plate to eventually bring out more power, Burleson has made that breakthrough this season. Gifted when it comes to contact, the Cardinals spent the past few seasons urging Burleson to use that 鈥渟uperpower鈥� with two strikes but adopt and refine an approach that sought damage earlier in the count.

In the first inning Wednesday, he did both. He jumped on a 1-2 sinker for a solo homer. In the fourth, he got a 2-0 slider that he drilled for a double. Those hits raised his average to .285, which is top 10 in the NL, and his slugging percentage to a career-best .461. He鈥檚 on the brink of an .800 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), and he鈥檇 be the first left-handed-hitting Cardinals outfielder to reach that mark in 15 years.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a different level of game planning there and sticking to it,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 super-stubborn 鈥� in the most positive way possible 鈥� of sticking to what he think is going to happen in an at-bat. The double you saw there? He鈥檚 sitting on a pitch. He takes a good swing on it. There鈥檚 layers to that one 鈥� and they鈥檙e really good.鈥�

It鈥檚 that approach the Cardinals hunger to see from other hitters.

It鈥檚 that willingness to adapt with some initial risk they鈥檙e seeing in some other players.

Winless in August, Pallante (6-15) lost his eighth consecutive decision and the Cardinals fell to 2-12 in his past 14 starts. He has a 6.14 ERA in that stretch, and the number of base runners has spiked against him. He walked at least three batters for the fourth time in six starts 鈥� and part of that is the cost of finding strikes outside the zone.

鈥淗e was trying to get chase once he got to two strikes,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 where a lot of that comes from. When you pitch to that much contact it鈥檚 hard to walk. But he鈥檚 trying to pitch to less contact, therefore it鈥檚 a give and take there at the moment.鈥�

Pallante felt that in real time as he tried to entice Reds with his breaking ball.

鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to go back and look at it and, man, if I just filled up the zone against those guys with my better strike pitches, maybe I don鈥檛 give up that three-run homer. But I know that in the long-term, I need to be more dynamic and I need to be able to do that. So you just have to take it.鈥�

Staked to a 1-0 lead by Burleson鈥檚 homer, Pallante retired the side in order in the second on 12 pitches. He struck out Elly De La Cruz for the second out. In the fourth, that same area of the Reds lineup set up Steer for his game-flipping homer. Pallante walked Sal Stewart and then got De La Cruz to a full count before walking him too. The next batter, Steer, ambushed the first pitch for a 411-foot homer and the lead.

An inning later, Pallante walked a batter to load the bases after two singles. He then misfired on a breaking ball for the wild pitch that brought home the fourth and final run against him.

鈥淚f I land my breaking ball there, I don鈥檛 fall behind in counts,鈥� Pallante said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 walk those guys. And a solo homer won鈥檛 beat me. That鈥檚 what it comes down to.鈥�

More specifically, he mentioned a sequence.

Since his days as a reliever, Pallante has thrown an unusual fastball, one that breaks continually and used to give left-handed batters fits. As a starter, those hitters have seen it more, and the adjustment has happened 鈥渟o drastically, so fast,鈥� Pallante said. He has had to develop new looks.

The curveball is one. He wants to be able to throw a sinker on the outside edge to right-handed batters that will clip the strike zone and thus make his slider to that spot more appealing 鈥� before it breaks out of the zone. Stewart ignored one of those sliders for a walk. Pallante said if he threw a better sinker, Stewart might go fishing for that slider.

Regardless of how the final nine games go, the Cardinals will leave this season with a feel for the stratification of the roster. There are players who will be traded. There are players who will have roles waiting for them in spring. There are players who will compete for a role, even if it鈥檚 one they鈥檝e had for all of 2025.

Pallante was asked if he鈥檚 made his best claim to a spot in the future rotation.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think about that. That鈥檚 not my job to do that,鈥� Pallante said. 鈥淚鈥檓 worried about getting hitters out.鈥�

That鈥檚 the best way to start.