Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez is doing his best Albert Pujols impersonation, ranking among the NL leaders in batting average, home runs and RBIs. On Saturday, though, Ibanez will face a pitcher who has had his number in recent years, Yankees southpaw Andy Pettitte.

Over the last two seasons, Ibanez has just one hit in 11 plate appearances against Pettitte and has struck out four times. He’s swung on 21 of Pettitte’s 44 pitches and missed more times (7) than he has put the ball in play (6).

Surprisingly, Pettitte has gotten him out by placing the ball where Ibanez normally likes it – up in the zone. Pettitte has located 64 percent of his pitches to Ibanez in the upper two-thirds of the zone.

Ibanez has been on fire this season, and he has had the most success against left- handers on high pitches:

It will be interesting to watch whether Pettitte sticks with the same plan or mixes things up and works the bottom of the strike zone.

After spending most of his career pitching in the Northern Independent League, Scott Richmond shot through the Blue Jays’ organization last season and at the age of 29 was an unlikely AL Rookie of the Month in April. Richmond, a right-hander, has been extremely tough this year on right-handed batters, but just as bad against lefties. Opponents are batting .177 and slugging .190 against him from the right side, while left- handed batters have put up numbers of .291 and .612, respectively. The difference all comes down to his fastball:

Although his breaking balls have been effective versus hitters on both sides of the plate, Richmond throws them less often to left-handed batters, even though lefties have pummeled his fastball for 13 extra-base hits. Nearly half his pitches to right-handed batters are breaking balls, but left-handed batters see a curve or slider just 35 percent of the time.

He’s had little success trying to come inside to left-handed batters; they have a .368 slugging percentage against his outside heaters, compared to 1.000 versus fastballs on the inner two-thirds.

All this could mean big problems for the Jays righty against the Braves on Saturday. If Kelly Johnson leads off, the first five batters that Richmond faces will bat from the left side (Johnson, Casey Kotchman, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Garrett Anderson), with Jordan Schafer in the lineup batting left as well.

Randy Wolf is having a career year for the Los Angeles Dodgers due largely to shutting down any left-handed bat that opposing managers send to the plate. In 2008, lefties hit .283 off of him with a .447 slugging percentage; this year, lefties are hitting a miniscule .093 with only one extra-base hit.

After the first pitch of an at-bat, Wolf has been in a pitcher’s count a lot more often:

One reason he has gotten ahead of batters so often might be his pitch selection early in the count, which is more fastball oriented. Wolf has thrown fastballs 72 percent of the time on early counts compared to 64 percent last year.

Those heaters have not been cookie fastballs either, as the Dodger southpaw has had excellent command:

On Saturday Wolf will battle the Los Angeles Angels for only the second time in his career. He surrendered four runs in five innings in a 2007 loss against them.