The St. Louis Cardinals have been in desperate need of some good news all season long. Throughout this unusual and unfortunate 38-52 campaign there have been silver linings that gave hope a turnaround was coming.

A once weak National league Central is now a heated race between two solid teams and is 11 games out of reach. The optimism that accompanied a returning Adam Wainwright only faded into the atmosphere as he struggled profusely and then headed back to the injury list. Nolan Arenado has been one of the best hitters in the league since a slow start in April. It has done nothing to compensate for all of the other holes or bad breaks.

The latest injury updates on St. Louis' two trusted utility men does not exactly look like the long-awaited dose of positivity, either. “Tommy Edman (wrist) will need more than the minimum time on the IL stint,” The Athletic's Katie Woo reported. “He received an injection, so he’s no swing for a few days. Brendan Donovan will continue his throwing program and DH and the hope remains he avoids the IL.”‘

Losing Edman for an extended period of time is a considerable blow to the clubhouse, based on the defensive versatility and contact prowess he can provide when at his best. Donovan's status (arm injury) is at least somewhat encouraging, as he remains in the lineup for the Cardinals' series with the Washington Nationals. The 26-year-old is hitting .284 with nine home runs this season.

While there are reasons for fans to smile, no amount of luck or momentum is likely to make a big enough difference in the standings. The glass-half-full mentality does not work when there is nothing left in the glass.