Despite low average, Morse feels fine at plate

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Don't let the numbers deceive you: Michael Morse has been one of the most locked-in hitters in Giants camp this spring.

Sure, the 31-year-old left fielder is hitting just .167 in 12 at-bats entering Saturday, but he's had three hits, two homers and five RBIs stolen from him on three of the best plays of the entire Cactus League.

In the Giants' first game, Morse had two home runs robbed by Oakland right fielder Josh Reddick. Then, on Friday, he had a liner into the right-field corner snared on a diving catch by the Royals' Justin Maxwell just before he crossed into foul territory.

Morse doesn't mind. He just hopes he gets all the bad luck out of the way before the calendar turns to April.

"It's Spring Training, and sometimes in Spring Training you might not feel good, and you still happen to get a bunch of hits," Morse said. "This spring I've been focused on fine-tuning myself for the season, and I feel great."

Morse wasn't in the lineup for Saturday's contest against his former club, the Seattle Mariners. Morse struggled in 76 games with Seattle (and then 12 with Baltimore) last season.

Now, Morse is looking to return to the form he displayed in Washington, where he posted a .294/.343/.514 slash line over four seasons. And he believes he's getting there.

"This is probably the best spring I've had in a long time," Morse said. "I've been really fine-tuning my swing. I'm surrounded by some really, really good people who know a lot about hitting."