WASHINGTON -- In an attempt to get Andrew Miller into a comfortable groove, the Marlins are suggesting that the 22-year-old left-hander just reach back and throw.

On a chilly 50-degree night on Monday in the nation's capital, Miller's velocity was down slightly from recent appearances at Dolphin Stadium.

"We told him we don't want him to compromise his speed or stuff to throw strikes," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Miller's fastball ranged from 88 to 94 mph, hitting 94 only once. For the most part, his fastball was in the 91-92 mph range.

When Miller was with the Tigers last year, the left-hander often got into trouble by walking batters. That wasn't so much the case in a 3 1/3-inning performance on Monday in a no-decision against Washington in Nationals Park, when he issued one walk and hit one batter. A lack of fastball command was an issue, as he left too many pitches over the plate. Consequently, he was hit hard, allowing six runs on eight hits.

The Marlins have seen Miller's fastball reach the upper 90s. In his final Spring Training outing, on March 28 against the Yankees at Dolphin Stadium, he topped out at 97 mph.

Miller was effective in that game against New York, but he has struggled to work deep into games in his first two regular-season starts.

Against the Nationals on Monday on Monday, he threw 91 pitches, 57 strikes of which went for strikes. In his first outing, a loss to the Mets, he gave up five runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings, racking up 90 pitches (50 strikes).

Miller's next start will come on Saturday at Houston.