Raul Ibanez continues to hit and the Seattle Mariners lose. This has become an all too common headline around the Pacific Northwest, but it - and the M’s 46-77 record - shouldn’t keep the 36-year-old outfielder out of fantasy lineups.

Ibanez went 5-for-5, including 2 doubles and an RBI in Sunday’s loss at the hands of the Minnesota Twins and is now hitting .413 with 12 runs and 20 RBIs in 15 August games. The multi-hit game was his third in his last 5 contests and the doubles give him a total of 13 extra-base hits in the month.

The Mariners are a league high 30.5 games behind the first place Angels and are 17 games under .500 at home, but not by any fault of Ibanez. He’s hitting .292 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs at Safeco and although he’s a career .291 hitter following the All-Star game, he’s hitting .349 since this year’s All-Star game, from which he was conspicuously absent.

What makes him a constant threat - and the envy of the Yankees, Mets and Angels at the trade deadline - is an up-the-middle approach that gives him the ability to stay in against left-handed pitching. Although most of his power has come off of righties, Ibanez is still hitting .313 with a .386 OBP against left-handers this season.

Dave DeIuliis will be a senior at Penn State’s School of Journalism. He can be reached at dmd5042@psu.edu.