Andrew Miller starts for the Marlins on Sunday afternoon, and he's well aware of the history that opposing pitcher Greg Maddux is chasing.
Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner, is baseball's active leader in victories (assuming Roger Clemens is done) and goes for win No. 350 against the Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.
''That's for him to deal with. All I'm going for is win No. 7,'' said Miller, a 22-year-old Gainesville native who was 5-6 in parts of two seasons with Detroit and is 1-2 this season.
This will be Maddux's fourth attempt at the milestone victory. He has pitched well in his previous starts, getting into the sixth in each of his past four games. Miller has made it into the sixth only once this season. The Marlins continue to support the affable Miller and say he's making strides. Miller, who pitched at North Carolina and graduated from high school in 2003, is in his third pro season.
''We have to be patient,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said. 'There's a sense of urgency for players at this level to do well. But you don't want them on the mound thinking, `If I don't make this pitch, I'm gone.' We have young pitchers here that we need to be careful with.''
WILD ON MARLINS
Weekend baseball games at Dolphin Stadium sometimes resemble a traveling circus, with a disc jockey out by the hot tub in the right-field corner, to postgame concerts and even A-list actors running around the outfield during a break in game action to film a scene for an upcoming movie.
''It's kind of weird to see a movie going on, big guys [dancing] on the field and a disc jockey out in right,'' veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez said after Friday's game. ``We got all kinds of things going on. This is Marlins baseball.''
• Former Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis pitched his first rehab assignment Friday for Detroit's Triple A affiliate in Toledo, Ohio. Willis, on the disabled list with a hyperextended knee, gave up four hits and struck out four in 4 2/3 innings for the Mud Hens. Willis is expected to get one more start in the minors before rejoining the Tigers.
