Maybe everything will change when shortstop Paul DeJong returns from a fractured left hand, perhaps by the end of the month. At that point the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup finally will be intact, presuming the other regulars stay healthy. Maybe by then right fielder Dexter Fowler and second baseman Kolten Wong will snap out of their hitting woes, and the offense finally will take off.



Same thing with the bullpen. Maybe reliever Greg Holland will regain his effectiveness when he returns this week from a right hip impingement, though nothing from his results on a rehab assignment suggests he is on the verge of such a breakthrough. Maybe Luke Gregerson will provide an additional boost when he returns from arthroscopic knee surgery by the end of July, and the Cardinals will not need to reinforce a ‘pen they thought they had fixed entering the season.



Most or all of the above needs to happen for the Cardinals to become the team club officials envisioned, and...