Even as the hero, Ibanez remains modest

FROM THE MORNING CALL

PHILADELPHIA — There are days when Raul Ibanez has to be dragged out of the cage.

He was like that at 29. He's still like that at 39.

The left-hander is all about putting in the time, which sometimes in the end, means the spotlight is on him.

That part makes him totally uncomfortable.

Example: Sunday.

Ibanez carried the Phillies in their 6-5 win over the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. He homered twice, including a two-run shot in the eighth inning that tied the game at 5, and drove in the game-winning run with a walk-off, RBI double in the 10th inning, giving the Phils their fifth series sweep of the season.

He smiled after the game. He answered every question thrown his way.

But he was reluctant — again— to take credit for what's he done, acknowledge his success, or play up his most recent tear.

"[I am] just really trying to take it one day at a time," Ibanez said. "Not looking behind me and I'm not looking ahead of me."

In the last three weeks, Ibanez has been an RBI machine. Over the course of his last 21 games, he's driven in 25 runs and hit .306 (26-for-85) with seven home runs.

On Sunday, he was 3-for-5 with four RBIs. He hit a solo shot in the second that put the Phillies ahead 1-0. His two-run home run to left-center field in the eighth dug the Phillies out of a 5-3 hole and knotted things up at 5.

Then in the 10th after Hunter Pence ripped a one-out double down the left-field line, Ibanez drilled a 1-0 fastball off left-handed reliever Tony Watson to right that scored Pence for the game's deciding run.

Ibanez now has driven in the game-winning runs in three of the Phillies' six, walk-off wins this season.

Good luck trying to get him to talk about any of that, though.

"I try to stay in the moment and evaluate at a later date," he said. "I try not to [look at my stats]."

Ibanez has taken that approach from Day 1 when he arrived at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., in 2009.

He knows no other way to be.

So let's let manager Charlie Manuel boast about his six-hole hitter.

"He's been swinging the heck out of the bat," Manuel said. "He's in a good streak. I've seen him get on a streak like that, and you guys have too. He can stay in it for quite a while, too."

Pence got his first taste of Phillies drama Sunday, and he still seemed to be in awe after crossing home plate with the game-winning run with one out in the 10th.

"It's electric," he said of the atmosphere and his new teammates. "Every one of them has a different charisma about them. It's been two games, but every time they've answered — and it's been different guys. Jimmy Rollins, even the pitchers hitting. It was Ryan Howard [Saturday]; Raul [Sunday]."

After Antonio Bastardo retired the heart of the Pirates order 1-2-3 in the ninth, the Phillies had a golden opportunity in the bottom half of the inning.

Rollins and Shane Victorino drew back-to-back, two-out walks, putting the game in Chase Utley's hands. The Pirates turned to Watson to face Utley, who had already singled, grounded out twice and popped out once, and he got him to fly out to end the inning.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle opted to keep Watson in to face the righty Pence, and it came back to bite them when the 28-year-old doubled to start the rally.

"I hope that it's a dynamic that helps," Pence said of being a right-hander sandwiched between two lefties.

DINGERS: Phils pitcher Vance Worley allowed four runs in seven innings, the first time he's allowed more than two runs in seven starts (he gave up 8 runs on May 29). … Bastardo extended his career-best winning streak to six games. … Rollins hit .462 (6-for-13, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs) in the Pirates series. … The Phillies were 7-3 on the home stand and are now 5-6 in extra-inning games. … It was Ibanez's first multi-home run game of the season and the 14th of his career.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/baseball/phillies/mc-philliesgamestory-0731-20110731,0,4204554.story