PEORIA, Ariz. — So far at spring training, a relaxed Mike Morse is an effective Mike Morse.
He’s hitting, he’s fielding, he’s running and, by no coincidence, he’s at-ease.
This is Morse’s ninth spring training and, in his words, perhaps the first that he hasn’t driven himself batty worrying if he’ll make the team.
“It’s pretty much maturity,” he said. “A bunch of spring trainings.”
Through four Cactus League games, Morse is batting .714 five RBI. He doubled in his only at-bat Monday, starting a three-run rally in the ninth inning of the Mariners’ 6-5 loss to the Cubs.
“He’s got an idea of the strike zone and for sure he’s got more confidence than he had,” manager John McLaren said. “He has an ‘I belong here’ type attitude. It takes a few times for guys to go up and down before they feel comfortable. It’s something all of them go through.”
There’s also the Raul Ibanez effect.
Morse worked out this offseason with the Mariners’ veteran left fielder near their homes in the Miami area, and he said the benefit went well beyond the nuances of his approach at the plate.
Ibanez essentially became a mental coach to Morse.
“The most help he gave me was with the mental side,” Morse said. “Raul’s the kind of guy I can ask about hitting, but he knows that I know enough about hitting. But when it came to the mental side, he just told me, ‘Hang in there, I’ve been through the same thing.’”
Oh has he.
Ibanez, drafted in the 36th round in 1992, played seven years in the Mariners’ minor league system before he made the opening-day roster. Then he was little more than a pinch hitter and outfield backup under former manager Lou Piniella. Ibanez didn’t become a starter until midway through 2001 with the Royals, which started three quality seasons in Kansas City that established him as a major leaguer.
Ibanez spoke a lot with Morse this offseason about patience, perseverance and, above all, the need to relax and play his game.
“Raul has been through it,” Morse said. “For three years he didn’t stick. It’s good to hear that from somebody like him. You kind of listen when Raul speaks. That motivated me and pumped me up and kept my head on the right track.
“There’s a lot of times when you start doubting yourself and think, ‘I’m never going to make it.’”
Beltre, Vidro out: Mariners will play most of this week without third baseman Adrian Beltre and designated hitter Jose Vidro.
The grandmother of Beltre’s wife died and he went to Mexico to be with the family. Vidro has a sore right elbow and, while it’s not considered serious, the M’s will rest him until it heals.
McLaren expects Beltre to return Wednesday.
“We’ll probably let him work out Thursday and maybe Friday he’ll be back in the games,” McLaren said.
Vidro’s return isn’t certain.
“It’s nothing major, but there’s soreness and we don’t want him to swing the bat during a game and hurt it worse,” McLaren said.
Catcher Brant Ust has suffered another bout of back spasms, the result of a baserunning drill gone wrong. He left the complex Monday morning on crutches.
Getting a grip: Jarrod Washburn is trying a new grip on his changeup and, after one fling with it in a game, he’s pleased.
He allowed four hits in three shutout innings Monday against the Cubs and got the results he wanted with the changeup against right-handers.
“They were consistent with the action, moving down and away to a right-hander, which is what I’m looking for,” Washburn said. “With the old grip it would sometimes cut across the middle of the plate, and that’s where I’d sometimes run into problems with it.”
Washburn has fiddled with different grips throughout his career, but this one came at the suggestion of pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre.
“I thought I had tried them all with the changeup, but this one’s new,” Washburn said. “Mel just said, how about trying this? And I did. So far it feels good. It’s just a slight variation of the grip I used last year. Put more pressure on the middle finger and hope it don’t cut.”
Of note: Entertainer Nick Lachey, a part owner of the Tacoma Rainiers, attended Monday’s game — wearing a Rainiers jersey. … The B game Wednesday against the Padres will have a bit of pitching intrigue. Horacio Ramirez, who went from the rotation last year to no clear role this spring, will start for the Mariners. First-round draft pick Phillippe Aumont also will pitch after recovering from a minor back problem early in camp. And Chris Reitsma, who has looked strong in his recovery from elbow surgery last year, will pitch an inning. … The Mariners sold 151,397 single-game tickets on Saturday and Sunday, beating last year’s first-weekend total of 133,922. No games are sold out, although the biggest sellers are the March 31 season opener against the Rangers, plus series against the Red Sox (May 26-28, July 21-23) and Yankees (Sept. 5-7).
Read Kirby Arnold’s blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com
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