"Everyone rested up for the 'second half?" The Marlins return to the field tonight at historic Wrigley Field for the first of a four-game series here in the Windy City. And the wind, for now, is blowing in as the Marlins prepare to take batting practice.

Hanley Ramirez is two hits away from 1,000 for his career and becoming only the third Marlin to reach four digits with the team, joining Luis Castillo (1,273) and Jeff Conine (1,005).

"How many years? Five and a half? That means I've got to go 15 to get to 3,000," Ramirez said.

Ramirez, jokingly, said he thought his 1,000th hit would be a grand slam.

"Today, during early hitting, I felt like the first day of spring training," said Ramirez, who wasn't at the All-Star Game for the first time in four years and spent the time at home in South Florida, resting.

But he said he watched both the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game despite not being a participant for the first time since 2007.

"That's what I do," Ramirez said. "I think I learn from it.""