PITTSBURGH -- The last time Michael Morse was in Pittsburgh, in late May with the Marlins, it was only a one-day pit stop on his way to the disabled list. He would miss six weeks with a strained ring finger. The weight of the World Series ring he earned last season with the Giants had nothing to do with the injury, but it has everything to do with what Morse hopes to bring to the Bucs.
He and Travis Ishikawa, both, for that matter. The right-handed-hitting Morse and the left-handed Ishikawa shared 50 starts at first base for San Francisco while Brandon Belt recovered from a fractured left thumb.