Phillies Notes: Ibanez might need off-season surgery

Phillies leftfielder Raul Ibanez might need off-season surgery on a small muscle tear near his abdomen.

"I don't know, we'll see what happens," Ibanez said reluctantly yesterday when questioned about an article in Sports Illustrated that reported that Ibanez put off surgery in late June.

Ibanez would not say that the lingering injury has affected his play.

"No, I'm fine," Ibanez said. "I'm doing fine. That's all stuff that's in the past. I spoke to that [reporter] but that's stuff in the past. I don't even think about it. I'm fine right now."

The SI report said Ibanez was given the choice to have surgery in June or go on the disabled list to rest and play through the injury for the remainder of the season.

Ibanez reportedly visited a neuromuscular specialist in Toronto and a surgeon in Philadelphia before making the decision to go on the 15-day disabled list. At the time, Ibanez was also battling a sore left groin.

Ibanez was asked many times this summer about the nature of his injury and he repeatedly declined to describe it.

Ibanez was batting .312 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI in 62 games before he went on the disabled list June 18. After his return July 11, he hit .232 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI in 72 games.

In the playoffs, Ibanez is hitting just .226 but ranks third on the team with nine RBI.

Ibanez, 37, is in the first year of a three-year, $31.5 million contract. He would not rule out potential surgery in the off-season.

"I don't know, we'll see what happens," Ibanez said. "I'm not thinking past today, right now. And I'm not thinking back the other way either. I'm doing fine. I've been fine for a while."

For the first time since former Phillies pitcher and current Comcast SportsNet analyst Mitch Williams said that Chase Utley has been playing hurt, the second baseman answered questions about his health.

Is his right foot hurt from fouling a pitch off of it late in the season?

"No," Utley said.

Is his right hip still bothering him after off-season surgery?

"No," Utley said.

Would he tell the media if he was actually injured?

"Probably not," Utley said.

Utley is hitting .303 in the playoffs with one home run and two RBIs. But against the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, Utley was just 4 for 19 at the plate and made two key errors in the field.

To keep his hitters sharp and catch another peek at a few pitchers, manager Charlie Manuel had the team conduct a five-inning simulated game after batting practice yesterday.

There were no fielders and no baserunning. But hitters took cracks against live pitching. Pedro Martinez started and threw 50 pitches in two innings. Kyle Kendrick threw two innings and 40 pitches.

After that, J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park, Brett Myers, Antonio Bastardo, Clay Condrey, and Tyler Walker each threw an inning. (With no opponent handy, Phillies pitched both the top and bottom of innings in the simulated game.) Happ, Park, and Bastardo were all on the NLCS roster, but the Phillies could change their staff or even add another reliever if they carry 12 pitchers instead of 11 for the World Series.

With such a long layoff in between games, Manuel said he felt the simulated game was crucial.

"The importance of it, to me, is for the hitters," Manuel said. "They'll see live pitching. That makes all the difference in the world. You can go out there and take BP all you want. That's good and there's nothing wrong with that. But at the same time, you have to get this timing for the game."