All good things must come to an end, at least for the time being. The Phillies announced today that Raul Ibanez has been put on the 15-day DL with a groin problem. Ibanez’s first day off this season came on the final day of the Red Sox series. At the time, the team described the reason for the one day vacation as an irritated achillies tendon. Now it looks like the 37-year old phenom’s body could benefit from a sabbatical.

I don’t know that this is necessarily bad news. For one thing, this is about the best time of year to sit for a few weeks; the lead in the division is established and it’s essentially scheduling purgatory right now. With any luck, Ibanez will heal to near-full health and be able to be productive down the home stretch.

Furthermore, the Phillies have been struggling offensively (Ibanez himself has 6 hits in his last 31 at-bats) and perhaps the subtraction of their best hitter this season will cause the team to step up. After all, Ibanez is out and relying on his bat for at least the next two weeks is not an option so let’s hope they elevate their games in his absence.