A Retraction And An Endorsement

PHILS PHACTS:

Retraction Request – The lawyer for Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is demanding an immediate and complete retraction to the Al Jazeera report that linked both to performance enhancing drugs. Multiple reports said William Burck, who represents both Howard and Zimmerman, sent a letter to Al Jazeera requesting the retraction. Al Jazeera issued a correction to its written report online, saying, "An earlier version of this article reported on an allegation about possible links between Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard and human growth hormone. The substance alleged was Delta 2, not HGH." That does not go far enough, according to Howard's and Zimmerman's representation. "Al Jazeera tried sneaking out a correction which acknowledges major errors in their story about our clients Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard," Burck said in a statement. "The original defamatory 'report' connected our clients to the use of HGH, but Al Jazeera has now admitted this defamatory accusation was wholly false and unsubstantiated. Al Jazeera's acknowledgment confirms their unforgivable sloppiness and the recklessness of its publication of this false story. Al Jazeera must retract the remaining false allegations against our clients immediately." Earlier this week, Burck called the claims in the report "outright lies" and vowed to fight them in court. "We will go to court to hold Al Jazeera and other responsible parties accountable for smearing our clients' good names," Burck said. Major League Baseball said it will conduct a thorough investigation of the report, whose source has already recanted his comments.

A Strong Candidate For Enshrinement – Even though seven players have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame over the past two years, many strong candidates remain on the ballot. With Baseball Writers' Association of America voters able to pick a maximum of 10 players apiece, and 75 percent of the vote required for enshrinement, several worthy candidates must travel a difficult road. Results of this year's BBWAA vote will be revealed on MLB Network on Jan. 6, with a news conference involving any electees to be held the following day. It's unlikely Curt Schilling, in his fourth year on the ballot, will be part of that group. The right-hander, who received 39.2 percent of the vote last time around, has a long ways to go. Schilling no doubt has suffered from his relatively low total of wins (216) and lack of a Cy Young Award, perhaps getting overshadowed by his brilliant contemporaries -- and in some cases teammates -- such as Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez. But when it comes to the most relevant numbers, there is a strong case for the six-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young runner-up as a clear Hall of Famer. Here is a look at that argument: • Schilling's career value stacks up quite favorably. His 80.7 pitching wins above replacement (WAR) ranks 26th all time, according to Baseball-Reference.com, including 14th in the expansion era (since 1961). He comes in just behind Bob Gibson and ahead of numerous Hall of Famers, including Don Sutton, Jim Palmer, Bob Feller, Juan Marichal and Don Drysdale. • Baseball-Reference's wins above average (WAA) compares a player's performance to the league average instead of to a theoretical replacement player, as in WAR. By that standard, Schilling's 54.1 ranks 10th among pitchers since 1901, ahead of such names as Gibson, Steve Carlton and Warren Spahn. • In 1968, baseball witnessed the Year of the Pitcher and responded by lowering the mound. Over the 47 seasons since then, here is where Schilling's career numbers fall in several important categories (a minimum of 2,500 innings was used for rate stats): Strikeout-to-walk ratio: 1st (4.38); Strikeouts per 9 innings: 4th (8.6); WHIP: 4th (1.137); Walks per 9 innings: 6th (1.96); WAA: 6th (54.1); ERA+: 7th (127); Strikeouts: 9th (3,116); WAR: 10th (80.7); Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP): 11th (3.23). • Schilling started slowly, but over his final 12 years (1996-2007), during an era of extreme offense, he went 173-104 (a .625 winning percentage) with a 3.43 ERA (134 ERA+), averaging more than 200 innings and 200 strikeouts per season. From 2001-04, at the advanced ages of 34-37, he led all pitchers in WAR, with an average of 7.8. Schilling also was first in strikeout-to-walk ratio, second in strikeouts, third in innings and FIP and fourth in ERA+. For good measure, he won seven postseason games and two World Series rings. • When it comes to racking up strikeouts and limiting walks -- a crucial part of a pitcher's job -- few have been better than Schilling. The righty is one of four pitchers to record at least three 300-strikeout seasons, along with Johnson, Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax. Excluding the 1800s, no pitcher with even 1,000 career innings can match Schilling's 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Only one other pitcher with 2,000-plus innings, Martinez, is above 3.78. At his best, from 2001-06, Schilling posted a 6.75 ratio, putting him way ahead of his closest challenger, Johnson (4.70). Schilling was responsible for five of the top 11 single-season marks during that span, and his 9.58 in 2002 was the second-best in history up until 2010. It still ranks fourth. • For perspective on Schilling, examine Tom Glavine, who sailed into the Hall with 91.9 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot, in 2014. The two pitchers operated during almost the exact same period. Glavine does hold huge advantages in starts, innings pitched and victories (cracking the esteemed 300 mark), and longevity certainly is important. Still, here is how the two compare in some other areas. Pitching WAR: Schilling 80.7 | Glavine 74.0; Total WAR: Glavine 81.5 | Schilling 79.9; WAA: Schilling 54.1 | Glavine 39.1; ERA+: Schilling 127 | Glavine 118; FIP: Schilling 3.23 | Glavine 3.95; K/BB: Schilling 4.4 | Glavine 1.7. • Still on the fence about Schilling? Consider that the three-time World Series champion is one of the best postseason performers in baseball history. In 19 career postseason starts, he went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA, including a 2.06 ERA over seven Fall Classic outings. Schilling was the MVP of the 1993 National League Championship Series for the Phillies, threw a shutout in that year's World Series against Toronto, and he set a single-postseason record for strikeouts (56) for the 2001 D-backs. That year, he produced a 1.12 ERA, and Arizona won five of his six outings, which included three complete games and a shutout.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Looking To Repeat Rule 5 Success

PHILS PHACTS:

The Phillies Are #1 – The Phillies will come home from next week's Winter Meetings with at least one new player on their 40-man roster. They have the No. 1 pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, and they plan to use it. Pro scouting director Mike Ondo said the Phillies have not decided who they will select, but they hope he will be as talented as some of the players they have selected in previous Rule 5 Drafts, like Shane Victorino, Odubel Herrera and Ender Inciarte. The Phillies are on the hunt for pitching, so it might seem obvious they will take a pitcher. Then again, how can they pass on a talented position player? "I can tell you, when we were playing well and had more of a veteran club I think we drafted more toward need at that point," Ondo said. "Obviously, last year we tried to take more of the prospect with ceiling." Herrera proved to be a gem in last year's Rule 5 Draft. After the Phillies plucked him from the Rangers' organization, he hit .297 with 30 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 41 RBIs and a .762 OPS in 537 plate appearances. He had no problem sticking on the Phillies' 25-man roster the entire season, which was required in order for him to remain in the organization. From 2006-14, 33 percent of players selected in the Rule 5 Draft (48-of-144) have remained with the teams that selected them, including 11 of 14 players last year. So while the odds are against a player sticking with the team that selects him, the Phillies have the advantage of being thin on talent with an opportunity to let that player develop. "As we narrow down the list to a more manageable 10 names or so, we'll discuss whether we select a player based on need or take the best player available," Ondo said. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo recently listed 10 of the best prospects available in this year's Rule 5 Draft. The Phillies' selection could come from this group. Of course, the trick isn't necessarily finding a talented player. It's finding a talented player who can stay in the big leagues an entire season. "Are they ready to handle it?" Ondo said. "How ready are they to survive or flourish? In Herrera's case, he took the ball and ran with it." Ondo and his team will continue to pore over reports through next week's Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., before settling on somebody. They hope to find the next Herrera. If so, it will be a nice victory for the rebuilding Phillies. "There's talent on these lists," Ondo said. "It's just a matter of feeling comfortable with the player that we choose."

Two Down – The Phillies avoided salary arbitration with two of their players on Wednesday by agreeing to contracts with outfielder Peter Bourjos and infielder Andres Blanco. Bourjos, who was claimed off waivers on Wednesday, agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract, while Blanco's deal is for one year, $1.45 million. The Phillies are expected to tender contracts to their three other players who are arbitration-eligible -- right-handers Jeremy Hellickson and Jeanmar Gomez and shortstop Freddy Galvis -- before Wednesday's 11:59 p.m. ET deadline.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Phillies Fall In Finale But Still Take Series Against Atlanta

GAME RECAP: Braves Beat Phillies 6-2

Jace Peterson's three-run home run in the fifth inning gave the Braves the lead and they never looked back in Sunday's 6-2 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, preventing the sweep and ending Atlanta's six-game losing streak. Peterson's home run came two at-bats after Chris Johnson tied the score, 1-1, with a single that scored Cameron Maybin. The four runs in the fifth inning provided enough cushion for starting pitcher Julio Teheran to silence the hot offense of the Phillies. Teheran allowed two runs in seven innings, striking out seven and walking none. The effort was good enough to provide him his first road win since Opening Day. "He pitched in to both sides of the plate and all of his secondary pitches were working," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "His command was really good and he wiggled out of a couple situations, especially in the seventh inning. He did a nice job. You can't ask for anything more than that." The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Phillies and was just the team's third loss since the All-Star break. Cody Asche and Odubel Herrera provided the offense with RBI singles in the second and fifth innings, but the team couldn't muster much offense beyond that and didn't get much help from starting pitcher Adam Morgan or the bullpen. "The story was Teheran was good and Morgan wasn't sharp," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "He didn't have real good command of his fastball. He got hurt. Teheran, he's been tough on us for the past two years. He changes speeds, he mixed his pitches well. He had a real good slider. He always has a good changeup. He just pitched very well. We got some hits, but didn't string a lot together."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• After making one of the best starts of his young career the last time he faced the Braves, Morgan wasn't able to replicate the same level of success on Sunday afternoon. Most of his struggles can be attributed to a lack of control. Morgan walked three batters, with two of them coming around to score. A leadoff walk to Maybin in the fifth, was followed by a balk that sent Maybin to second and he eventually scored later in the inning. "When you don't have command of the fastball it's tough to get ahead," Morgan said. "Hitters, in my opinion, are taught to sit on the breaking pitches and react off the fastball. And when you don't have the fastball, it's easier for them."
• The Phillies stranded almost as many men on base as they had hits on Sunday. The Phillies managed 10 hits, hitting double digits for the fourth consecutive game. They weren't able to do much with those hits though, leaving eight men on base and going just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Multiple runners were stranded in the second, fifth and seventh innings.
• It will be interesting to see if Ryan Howard starts for the Phillies against Wood and the Dodgers. On the one hand, Howard has hit safely in his last eight games, his longest streak since April 17-30, 2013. On the other hand, Howard normally sits against left-handed pitching and Wood is no exception. Howard has only faced Wood four times despite the amount of times Wood has faced the Phillies. Wood has gotten the best of Howard as he is 0-for-3 with a walk.

NEXT GAME:

Jimmy Rollins played 1,047 games in Philadelphia wearing red and white. Tuesday he'll make his first appearance in blue. Traded to the Dodgers in the offseason, the player with the most hits, most doubles and third-most runs scored in Phillies history will return to Philadelphia as a visiting player when the Phillies host the Dodgers for the first contest of a three-game series. This won't, however, be the first time that Rollins plays against his former team. The Phillies and Dodgers played a four-game series in early July, a series in which the Dodgers took three out of four games. In that series, Rollins went 5-for-15 with two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and four runs scored. Alex Wood will be making his Dodgers debut Tuesday after Los Angeles acquired the pitcher from the Braves before the non-waiver Trade Deadline. Wood, a 24-year-old starting pitcher in his third season in the Majors, was 7-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 20 starts with Atlanta this year. Wood is having the worst season of his career by WHIP, as he is allowing 1.408 men on base per inning and is allowing 10 hits per nine innings. As a former Brave, it is no surprise that Wood has an extensive history against the Phillies. The left-hander has made seven starts and 12 appearances with a 3.07 ERA over those 44 combined innings. Wood tossed his only career complete game against the Phillies in 2014.

PHILS PHACTS:

Utley Making Progress – The man leading the Phillies in on-base percentage might soon have far fewer chances to get on. Six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner Chase Utley has been on the disabled list since June 23 with inflammation in his right ankle, but he made his first rehab start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday. Utley went 2-for-3 with a walk, an encouraging sign given that the second baseman reached base three times in just seven of the 65 games he played in the Majors this year. Utley's return, however, is likely the signal of a reduced role for his replacement, Cesar Hernandez. Hernandez has proven himself to be more than serviceable in Utley's absence, batting .278 with a .354 on-base percentage, the best among regular starters on the team. Over the past few weeks, Hernandez has been a fixture atop the Phillies' lineup, slotting in as the leadoff man, the No. 2 batter and even filling in for Maikel Franco in the three hole a couple of times. Despite Hernandez's strong play, Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said Sunday, after the Phillies' 6-2 loss to the Braves, that Hernandez's job on this team is going to change when Utley returns. "I'm not going to just dump Utley on the bench," Mackanin said. "He's going to get playing time somewhere. And I'm going to find him playing time. I spoke to him yesterday about it. I'll mix it up, move him around. Play Cesar at shortstop for example to allow Utley to play. It's important for us, I believe, to get him at-bats." Hernandez said postgame on Sunday that he is comfortable moving to shortstop if necessary and he has experience there. Mackanin also said that Utley might earn some reps at first base on days that Ryan Howard might need rest, maximizing the ways to get both Utley and Hernandez in the lineup. With that in mind, there still isn't any guarantee that Utley will be a Phillie moving forward. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. still has the opportunity to trade players who clear waivers between now and the wavier Trade Deadline on August 31 and it isn't out of the question for Utley to be among those traded if he does in fact clear waivers. Adding on to that, Amaro said that he and the organization will try to continue making moves until that deadline. "I think there are still some things that could happen," Amaro said. "The process hasn't ended. We've got a lot of work to do still." As for the timetable for Utley's return, not much is known about when he will rejoin the Major League club. He will continue his rehab on Tuesday and Wednesday, this time with Double-A Reading, and Mackanin said he would like to see Utley play some second base as opposed to being the designated hitter, like he was on Sunday. Whenever Utley does get back though, Mackanin said he believes Utley will be a key contributor. "There's no way I'm just going to let him sit on the bench," Mackanin said. "Because he's got value and I think he's got a lot left."

Aggressiveness Paying Off – Odubel Herrera is the kind of center fielder who is probably going to make a bunch of errors. But that's what makes him so exciting. "He's the kind of outfielder who wants to catch every ball," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "He doesn't play away from mistakes. He doesn't play away from errors. He wants the ball hit to him. Even if it's not, he wants to catch it." It's that style of play that led Mackanin, after the Phillies' 6-2 loss to the Braves, to describe Herrera, who never played in the Majors and had next-to-zero experience in the outfield before 2015, as "fearless" and "aggressive." And as of late, that style has played off for the rookie. In 23 games since June 26, Herrera has raised his batting average from .243 to .282. Over that same span, his OPS has jumped more than 100 points. And with Ben Revere no longer an option in center field after he was traded to Toronto on Friday, Herrera's increasing contributions have become even more valuable to the Phillies. Take Sunday for example. Herrera went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the fifth. He also made a sliding catch in the outfield on a sinking liner while fighting the difficult angle of the sun that affected outfielders all day. He also ended the Braves' four-run fifth inning by throwing out catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who was trying to stretch a single into a double. Sunday was the kind of day where Herrera's innate aggression helped him as an outfielder. But in Mackanin's opinion, Herrera's growth as a hitter has come from how well he's listened to coaching and been able to quell his aggression with a bat in his hands. "Offensively, he's coming," Mackanin said. "He went through that lull earlier in the season where his average fell to about .250. It seemed like he learned to tone himself down a little bit. Not be so aggressive against certain pitchers. He's learning what to expect from certain pitchers. For a guy that hit .280 as a rookie -- he might possibly hit .300 -- he just looks confident at the plate." With Revere no longer on the roster, Herrera's opportunities to play are going to magnify; he is now the Phillies' center fielder rather than a player who shares time. And based on the timeline of Herrera's development process, Revere's trade came at the right time. "He's just a raw talent that's starting to get a little more polish to him," Mackanin said. "He's got the ability with his eye-hand coordination. He hits mistakes. He's gaining ground as the season goes on."

Bringing Heat – Ken Giles is not the only pitcher in the Phillies' organization that can hit 100 mph with his fastball. The Phillies on Friday acquired two hard-throwing Minor League pitchers from the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Ben Revere: right-handers Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado. Cordero's fastball has hit 102 mph. Tirado's fastball has hit 98. "Very big arms," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Sunday morning at Citizens Bank Park. "Both were playing in [Class A Advanced] Dunedin this season, so we've seen them a lot." Both are relief pitchers, but the Phillies are considering moving Tirado back into the rotation next season. Cordero, 23, went a combined 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 50 innings with Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire. Tirado, 20, posted a 3.23 ERA in 61 1/3 innings with Dunedin. Opponents hit .213 against him, while he averaged 8.95 strikeouts per nine innings. The Blue Jays moved Tirado, who was the ninth-best prospect in Toronto's system according to MLBPipeline.com, from the rotation to the bullpen because they figured it would be his quickest path to the big leagues. But because the Phillies are in a rebuilding process, they can afford to be a little more patient with their pitchers. "He's a young kid," Amaro said about Tirado. "He's got the makings of three-plus pitches, so we may push him back next year and get him stretched out to see what he can do in the rotation. Cordero, he fires. He needs a little work on his secondary pitches, but he's got a natural cut to his fastball. He throws a 96-102 mph cutter. So if he gets some command and gets a secondary pitch consistently he could help."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 41-65. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance so far this season, this could end up being the worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 38-64-0 on this day.