Marlins' highly touted Miller shows progress

5/5/2008 2:51 PM

By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) -Florida Marlins left-hander Andrew Miller stands 6-foot-6, and that's before he climbs the mound to throw his 95-mph fastball.

``He's got a long stride,'' Greg Maddux said after being outpitched Sunday by Miller. ``I've never seen a stride that close to the plate.''

Even so, the 22-year-old Miller is progressing in baby steps with the Marlins. A six-inning outing to beat Maddux and the San Diego Padres was his best of the season, reducing his ERA from 9.12 to 7.96.

That number needs to come down several more runs, Miller knows. But the latest start was a start.

``By no means do I think I'm the pitcher I hope I'll be one day,'' he said. ``But I've proved to myself I can get big league hitters out at times. It's a question of getting them out in strings, instead of giving up big innings. That has been my downfall.

``We're working on it, and I think experience is the answer.''

With the Marlins off to a surprisingly strong start, the pace of Miller's development may be the biggest factor in whether they remain above .500.

The rotation is the team's glaring weakness, and while Scott Olsen and Mark Hendrickson have pitched well, the other starters are 3-8 with an ERA of 7.97. That includes Miller, acquired in the December trade that sent Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers.

A Gainesville, Fla., native who pitched at the University of North Carolina, Miller was taken by the Tigers as the sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft. He came to the Marlins with only 26 starts in professional baseball, including 13 for Detroit last season.

Because the Marlins are thin in pitching, they couldn't afford the luxury of giving Miller more time in the minors.

``We need him,'' outfielder Cody Ross said. ``We need him to step up and do it. He knows that. He has the confidence to do it, and we have the confidence in him to do it.''

Miller's 2-2 record is a testament to the Marlins' explosive lineup. Opponents are batting .382 against him, including .491 the first trip through the lineup. Three times in seven starts he has failed to make it to the fifth inning.

But the Marlins drew encouragement from Miller's showing Sunday, even if it came against the weak-hitting Padres.

``He's a young kid with great, great stuff,'' teammate Dan Uggla said. ``Everyone knows how talented he is. It's just a matter of time before he throws that way every time he goes out there.''

Miller allowed San Diego only four hits and two runs, and he threw fewer pitches than Maddux, that master of efficiency. The outing was Miller's longest since last July 6, when he pitched a career-high seven innings to beat the Boston Red Sox.

``It was nice to go out there and go a little deeper in the game,'' he said. ``I changed my mentality a little bit. I tried to get a lot of the thoughts out of my head that have been running through there and just throw the ball. I was pressing a little bit mechanically, and that was taking the life off some pitches. I felt like I had been guiding it a little bit.''

The victory left the Marlins one-half game behind NL East leader Philadelphia to start the week. Despite the departure of Cabrera, their balanced lineup ranks second to the Phillies in the majors with 42 home runs. Their bullpen is fourth in the NL with an ERA of 3.13.

But left-handers Olsen (3-1, 2.70 ERA) and Hendrickson (5-1, 3.71) have been carrying the load for the rotation.

There's reason for Florida fans to be optimistic. Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez, sidelined by injuries the past year after combining for 22 wins as rookies in 2006, may return as reinforcements around the All-Star break.

If the Marlins can coax some consistency from Miller, the rotation becomes a lot less problematic.

``It's huge for us,'' outfielder Luis Gonzalez said. ``That puts three quality left-handers in your rotation, and there are not many teams in the major leagues who have three top left-handers out there.

``You look at every team, and there are one or two left-handed hitters who usually sit in the middle of the batting order. If you have pitchers who can neutralize those guys, it makes a huge difference.''

Five weeks into Miller's first full major league season, the Marlins still believe he will be such a pitcher. So does he.

``I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pressing at all at some points,'' he said. ``But I'm beyond that. I know what I'm capable of doing. I've had some success before, so I know I can do it.''