The St. Louis Cardinals might have a new manager, pitching coach and offensive stars, but their results have been the same as the 2011 team during its run to the World Series championship. The games have also been less stressful to watch, thanks in part to new manager Mike Matheny.

The Cardinals started the 2012 season with two of the cleanest wins a baseball team can have, especially to begin a season. They beat the Miami Marlins 4-1 Wednesday before traveling to Milwaukee and beating the Brewers 11-5 Friday.

Sure, they got beat in starting pitcher Adam Wainwright’s return Saturday to the tune of a 6-0 shutout, but Brewers starter Zack Greinke pitched a brilliant game. He was also the third elite pitcher the Cardinals had faced in as many days.

Overall, the Cardinals have shown early signs that they will play a much cleaner game than they did while Tony La Russa was the manager. It’s foolish to say La Russa’s teams didn’t play good baseball. His team’s won a lot of baseball games, but they also maintained an edge to their game that was never completely comfortable to watch. They could certainly come back after falling behind several runs early in a game, but just as well could let a similar lead disappear.

A good bullpen is certainly a major factor in how those situations play out, but La Russa’s heavy use of his bullpen played a role. His theory of using several relievers in one game was meant to keep them available night after night without wearing down one particular pitcher. But, that always left opportunities for one of those pitchers to have an off-night and blow the game.

Although it’s very early, Matheny hasn’t shown any tendencies to take a lot of risks. His decisions have been calculated, and have not tipped the game for or against his team. Those moments where his decision wins or loses a game will surely come, but his approach is a smart one for a new manager with an experienced team.

Matheny’s has also made judicial use of his bullpen. It helps when his starters pitch deep into ballgames, but he has not made pitching changes just for the sake of making pitching changes. Matheny has a good understanding of the rhythm of a baseball game, and has shown a more gentle touch than La Russa.

Matheny is no teddy bear, by any means. He will fight with his team to the death just as La Russa would have, but Matheny will likely trust his gut instinct rather than what the numbers say in the matchup book.

That will be a stark change for Cardinals fans who have grown to fear a righty-lefty matchup simply because the pitcher and hitter don’t have the same dominant hand. The hand a pitcher throws with is sometimes less important than how the pitcher is throwing that day.

Even if a pitcher, particularly a reliever, was cruising along, La Russa would yank him simply to play the matchup game. Matheny appears to be more likely to let a pitcher who is dominating go ahead and work a full inning regardless of who comes up next in the order. This certainly won’t always be the case, but it will be nice to watch a game that doesn’t include at least six pitching changes every night.

Also, the team’s baserunning has been much better. Former first baseman Albert Pujols was often more of a factor in this problem than La Russa. Pujols was a very aggressive baserunner, but he would also run himself into an out because of that aggressiveness.

The 2012 Cardinals might not be the most explosive team in Major League Baseball, but if the first week is any indication, this should be a very fundamentally sound team that could win a lot of baseball games.

Having a manager who fosters that type of a team will certainly help.

The Brendan Ryan Era has officially come to an end in St. Louis.

The Cardinals today have announced that Brendan Ryan has been traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for prospect pitcher Maikel Cleto.

According to early speculation in Seattle, Ryan will be given the opportunity to challenge Jack Wilson for the starting shortstop position and will, most likely, see time at second base while rookie Dustin Ackley develops in through the system.

The Mariners have acquired the best defensive shortstop in the game, a high-energy ball player that sometimes can be his own worst enemy, and a fan favorite player that is incredibly endearing. But what did the Cardinals get in return?

Cleto is a pitcher that has confused most people that have evaluated him. He is a high velocity guy that throws consistently in the low to mid 90′s, sometimes reaching 97 MPH. He has struggled to develop a secondary pitch with various scouts opining about his “below average curveball” or his “yet to be developed slider”. Additionally, scouts have been confused by the hit-ability of his fastball. Most reports suggest that his heater is incredibly straight and shows little movement, leaving it hittable, even at High-A ball, where Cleto spent most of 2010. During his tour in High-A ball, Cleto would establish a 4-9 record with a 6.16 earned run average in 23 games (21 starts). He would strikeout 83 while walking 44, surrender more than a hit per inning pitched, and give up just under one home run per nine innings pitched. Cleto is a 21 year old starting pitcher from the Dominican Republic who spent most of 2009 battling Visa issues after being traded from the Mets’ system to the Mariners in the JJ Putz trade two years ago today. The Mariners had placed Cleto on their 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Not regarded as a top prospect, Cleto does show the potential to be impressive, though most experts predict any pending success will come in the bullpen and not in the starting rotation. With development of his slider and a decent off-speed pitch, I would have to wonder if the Cardinals are seeing a potential back of the bullpen type arm.

Brendan Ryan may very well be the type of player that looks to rebound from a forgettable season while enjoying a change of scenery. Ryan last season hit .223 after posting a .292 average and winning the starting shortstop position the year before. He would struggle at the plate, showing little patience and taking his frustrations onto the field, allowing it to affect his otherwise brilliant defense. Given playing time, constructive criticism, and ample structure in his job, Ryan has the opportunity to reinvent himself in the American League and show the Cardinals’ organization that they may have given up a little too soon. With a young, rebuilding, struggling and often frustrating team in Seattle currently, Ryan will not have to perform at astonishing levels to keep his position in the Mariners’ starting lineup.

The story of Brendan Ryan in St. Louis suggests that there is more to the story than the public is being made aware of. If that is true, I commend the organization and the shortstop for being sensitive to the matter and ensuring that a player was not “run out of town”.

All things considered, this trade may have been just what the doctor ordered for the player and both teams involved.