KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Khalil Greene is fitting in quite nicely with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Greene drove in two runs to lead St. Louis to a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
The 29-year-old Greene hit just .213 with 10 home runs for San Diego last year, and struck out 100 times in 105 games. The Cardinals acquired the shortstop from the Padres in December for two prospects.
St. Louis is hoping Greene can return to the form he showed in 2007, when he had 27 homers, 44 doubles and 97 RBIs.
"As far as the change of scenery goes, I think it could be a good thing," Greene said. "Being in a new environment has been reinvigorating of sorts. Not having a comfort level and seeing things in a novel way again."
Greene's range at shortstop also is helping ease the transition of Skip Schumaker, who is being converted into a second baseman after starting at each of the three outfield positions last year.
"It's been nice to have him over there and have him talking to me and let me know what's about to happen," Schumaker said. "I'm thinking about enough anyways so when he mentions something it's nice for me to kind of keep my mind off of it and focus on one thing, rather than a million things."
Schumaker's transition became more important after the Cardinals released Adam Kennedy last month. The team also let Felipe Lopez and Aaron Miles depart via free agency in the offseason.
Manager Tony La Russa said he's pleased with how Schumaker has handled the switch.
"He's doing exactly what he needs to do," La Russa said of Schumaker. "In steps, he's getting more comfortable. He's done well enough to where we want him to keep doing it.
"What was necessary for the position was to be a good athlete, be willing to work, be tough as nails and he's got all that, plus he's got a great arm."
The 29-year-old Schumaker had never played second base and hadn't played the infield since college. He knows the transition will take time.
"Everything's coming at once and it can be a little overwhelming at times," said Schumaker, who hit .302 with 163 hits in his first full major league season last year. "The ball gets there a lot quicker. Everything's new to me. But the key has been to slow the game down, not be so antsy out there."
Colby Rasmus also drove in two runs against Houston, and Albert Pujols went 0-for-3 with a walk and scored a run.
Lance Berkman went 1-for-3 with a double and John Gall drove in the Astros' run in the ninth.
Joel Pineiro, the Cardinals' likely No. 5 starter, struck out three in four shutout innings. He allowed one hit and walked none in his second spring start.
"I thought he was real sharp," La Russa said. "He's a very talented guy. He's had a couple of years where the numbers weren't very good for one reason or the other. But he's got a bunch of pitches. We think if he stays healthy, he'll have a solid year."
Mike Hampton allowed two runs and three hits in three innings for Houston, which has managed just one run and six hits in the last two games and dropped to 1-7 this spring.
Astros manager Cecil Cooper held a closed-door meeting with his staff before morning workouts and put it on his coaches to address the team's lackadaisical play by holding individual player meetings during Saturday workouts.
"I'm just calling to their attention that we need to pay attention to details and do things the proper way," Cooper said before Saturday's game. "And it should start right now, not two weeks from now."
Game notes
X-rays on Astros OF Reggie Abercrombie's injured left foot revealed a broken toe. He will wear a boot on his foot and will be re-evaluated after a week. He was injured when he fouled a pitch off the foot Friday night against Atlanta. ... Astros OF Jason Michaels was removed after the first inning due to a mild left hamstring strain.