(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Braves will pay Greg Maddux a big-time honor on Friday, as they will retire his No. 31 jersey before that night's game versus the Mets. They also have a couple of pitchers on their roster than can carry Maddux's torch on the mound as well.

Maddux won 194 games and pitched to a 2.63 earned run average over 363 starts with the Braves from 1993-2003. He joins an amazing group of former Braves players that have had their numbers retired, including Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Phil Niekro, Warren Spahn and Dale Murphy.

"There wasn't a better student of the game," Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton told his team's site of Maddux.

During his time in Atlanta, Maddux teamed with John Smoltz and Tom Glavine to give the Braves a fearsome rotation. It is a mold the team is trying to emulate even today.

Atlanta brought in veterans Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez this past offseason to mentor a rotation that also includes two exciting young players in Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson.

Jurrjens was a great find by Atlanta, which acquired him after the 2007 season from Detroit in the Edgar Renteria deal. Jurrjens won 13 games last year and has pitched much better than his 7-7 record this year shows, as evidence with his 2.91 ERA through 19 starts.

"He made it look so easy, but pitching is not easy," Jurrjens said on Atlanta's site about Maddux. "You wish you could have the same mindset like him every time. He's just special. He was born with that intelligence."

Atlanta appears to have its compliment to the 23-year-old Jurrjens in the form of the 22-year-old Hanson, who is 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA over his first seven big-league starts.

PHILLIES: HOWARD HITS A MILESTONE

The Phillies knew that Ryan Howard was hitting home runs at a shocking pace, but few probably knew just how fast the big first baseman was hitting them.

How about at a record-setting pace.

The 29-year-old Howard belted a solo homer in Thursday's win over the Marlins to become the fastest player in league history to reach the 200 mark. Howard did so in 658 games, breaking the previous mark of 706 held by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner.

"That's pretty cool," Howard told Philadelphia's official Web site. "It'll hit me later on. I'll kind of come down a bit later. It'll be something I can look back on and just kind of cherish a little bit."

It's not too early to wonder where Howard will end up on baseball's all-time home runs list. Currently eighth on Philadelphia's all-time list, Howard needs four more to tie Dick Allen for seventh in club history. Mike Schmidt, of course, hit the most long balls in Phillies history with 548, which also puts him 14th all-time.

For arguments sake, lets say Howard ends 2009 with 40 homers -- Thursday's was his 23rd of the season. That will give the big first baseman 217 by season's end. If Howard plays until he is 40 and averages 40 home runs a season over that span, he would have 657 long balls, which would be three behind Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time list.

However, their are five active players in the 500-home run club, including Ken Griffey Jr. (621) and Alex Rodriguez (570), that could be well past Mays by that time.

MARLINS: CAN'T FIGURE OUT MOYER

One would think that the more and more you see a pitcher, the easier it would get to hit off him. Unless that pitcher is 46-year-old Jamie Moyer.

The Marlins knew the stakes were high in their first game following the All- Star break. Florida began a four-game set with the Phillies, who led the Marlins by four games for first place in the National League East prior to the series opener.

Thanks to Moyer, that deficit is now five games.

Florida has never beaten the left-handed Moyer at Land Shark Stadium, as the ageless one is 8-0 on the Fish's home turf. Moyer is 13-2 in his career versus the Marlins.

"He did a great job. He throws everything in the strike zone," Marlins starter Chris Volstad, who took the loss, said on Florida's Web site. "The ball is moving every which way. It looks like [he has] a sinker, a cutter, a curveball, you never know which way it's going to break."

Nothing broke for the Marlins. Moyer allowed just one hit and a walk over seven innings, with both Florida base runners coming in the fifth inning. Jorge Cantu led off the frame with a single and Ronny Paulino later drew a walk, but the Marlins failed to bring them home.

It remains a mystery as to why Moyer dominates the Marlins, but at least one Florida hitter has an idea.

"[Moyer] was getting calls. There's nothing you can do about it," Hanley Ramirez said on his team's site. "It's tough when someone gets calls like that because you can't concentrate on hitting. He made tough pitches and he got the calls."

NATIONALS: IS RIGGLEMAN THE ANSWER?

With the Nationals more than already half way to a second straight 100-loss season, something had to give in the nation's capital. The something was Manny Acta's job.

Acta was relieved of his duties on Sunday after leading Washington to a first- half record of 26-61, the worst record in baseball, and a mark of 158-252 in Acta's two-plus years as the manager.

"Something had to happen. We were [losing badly] every night," said Nick Johnson on Washington's Web site. "We just have to turn it around and go out on the field and play better ball, picking it up for the pitchers and scoring more runs."

In steps Jim Riggleman on an interim basis, as he will aim to improve Washington's defense. The Nationals' fielding percentage of .975 is the worst in the league and their 84 errors also lead the National League.

"We are not going to reinvent the game," Riggleman said on Washington's Web site. "We have to find a way to get different results. I don't think we can change a lot...I'm just going to continue to pound the message. Maybe coming from someone else, maybe they will respond, maybe they won't. We have to try it."

Riggleman also draws the task of trying to fix Washington's bullpen. The unit is last in the NL with a collective 5.70 earned run average and its 30 losses by far leads the league. The Nationals are just 14-for-32 in save opportunities this year.

METS: HOPE TO GET HEALTHY IN SECOND HALF

The Mets know they will get healthy at some point in the second half, but they still have no idea when that might be.

New York opened up play following the All-Star break still missing three of its biggest offensive weapons: shortstop Jose Reyes, center fielder Carlos Beltran and first baseman Carlos Delgado. Pitcher John Maine and young outfielder Fernando Martinez remain out as well.

Delgado and Reyes are both rehabbing in Florida, while Mets general manager Omar Minaya told the club's official Web site that Reyes is improving after a cortisone injection. Reyes has been out since May 20 due to right calf tendinitis and a torn right hamstring tendon and could be back by the end of July, while Delgado hasn't played since May 10 due to right hip surgery and isn't expected back until mid-August at the earliest.

Finally, Beltran is still out with a right knee bruise that sidelined him in late June. Beltran was hitting .336 prior to his injury and is being replaced by Angel Pagan in center.

Alex Cora has handled the bulk of the work at short in Reyes' absence, though the Mets recently purchased the contract of Angel Berroa after claiming him off waivers from the Yankees.

Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis have shared time at first. The two have combined for just nine home runs this year, though.



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