Raul's struggles are nothing new

Phillies' left fielder Raul Ibanez had a terrible month of August. During the month, Ibanez hit just one home run and put up an AVG/OBP/SLG line of just .193/.276/.318. That means he hit fewer home runs than his former teammate Ichiro Suzuki, had a lower batting average than Adam Kennedy, had a worse on-base percentage than Delwyn Young and was outslugged by Kaz Matsui.

Phillies' left fielder Raul Ibanez had a terrible month of August. During the month, Ibanez hit just one home run and put up an AVG/OBP/SLG line of just .193/.276/.318. That means he hit fewer home runs than his former teammate Ichiro Suzuki, had a lower batting average than Adam Kennedy, had a worse on-base percentage than Delwyn Young and was outslugged by Kaz Matsui. Ibanez's summer swoon is nothing new to Phillies' left fielders as Pat Burrell underwent a similar dropoff from a hot start last season. Burrell's 2008 season is quite similar although slightly worse than Ibanez's 2009 season:

FIRST HALF
Pat Burrell (2008) .275/.404/.575 with 23 HR
Raul Ibanez (2009) .309/.367/.649 with 22 HR (Ibanez was injured from June 17 through the All-Star Break)

SECOND HALF
Pat Burrell .215/.313/.413 with 10 HR
Raul Ibanez .233/.321/.445 with 8 HR

PLAYOFFS

Pat Burrell .227/.346/.455 with 3 HR

Furthermore, Burrell's September was horrendus as he put up a line of .205/.322/.397 with just three home runs. However, Burrell was able to translate a poor September into a respectable showing in the postseason, keyed by the double in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the World Series which proved to be a game-winner. This September in just seven games, Ibanez is batting .304/.360/.696 with three home runs already. So far, Ibanez's 2009 season has tracked slightly above Burrell's 2008 season. If this trend continues, Ibanez should be in great shape for the Phillies' postseason.