<p>Greg Maddux appeared relaxed all week, as if the major milestone he's about to add to his impeccable resume was just a distant thought.</p><p>At Coors Field, the humble and focused right-hander stopped to socialize with the clubhouse attendants and casually chatted up his Chicago teammates, seemingly his calm self even as he's about to make history.</p><p>"I'm trying," Maddux said with a smile Thursday as the Cubs wrapped up a series in Colorado. "What are you going to do? I guess I could worry and panic about it, but I'm not going to."</p><p>On Saturday, the four-time Cy Young Award winner will try for the second time to get his 300th career victory when the Cubs face San Francisco.</p><p>"He's always said that as long as he stays healthy, it's going to happen one time or another," Giants ace Jason Schmidt, Maddux's former teammate in Atlanta, said Friday. "Everybody makes a big deal about all these milestones. Every time you pitch it's a milestone to get the win."</p><p>Well, this one certainly will mean a little more for Maddux.</p><p>The 38-year-old Maddux, 299-170 and a winner of 13 straight NL Gold Glove awards, would become the 22nd major league pitcher to reach 300 victories and the first in the National League since Philadelphia's Steve Carlton in 1983.</p><p>Maddux was expected to face Schmidt, the Giants' 13-game winner _ but his task got a bit easier when San Francisco moved Schmidt's start to Friday to fill a hole in its rotation. Instead, Maddux will face right-hander Brad Hennessey, a top pitching prospect making his major league debut.</p><p>Even on the cusp of a milestone that essentially reserves a spot in the Hall of Fame for him, Maddux tried to keep the focus on the Cubs' run at the NL Central title and the wild card. He would prefer to get 300 out of the way on Saturday _ primarily because it would mean one more win for surging Chicago.</p><p>"It's about the season. It's about your year," Maddux said. "Three hundred is just something that's getting in the way, if you know what I mean. We just need to finish out, play good the last two months and take our chances."</p><p>Roger Clemens was the last to accomplish the feat, reaching 300 on his fourth try on June 13 last year. Maddux knows there might not be another 300-game winner for many years, though he believes former teammate Tom Glavine, who has 259, will get there.</p><p>After that?</p><p>"Who knows?" Maddux asked. "There might be some guy in high school right now."</p><p>Maddux missed his first chance at 300 last Sunday when he left after six innings with the Cubs trailing the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2.</p><p>There will be plenty of hype this time around. The game has been sold out for months, and reporters from around the nation are in San Francisco for the event.</p><p>"It's going to be a good one, boy," said Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who's returning to the Bay area to face his former team for just the second time since taking over the Cubs after the 2002 season.</p><p>"I'll tell you, it's been a quiet approach to 300 until recently," he added. "A lot of that has to do with him, and a lot of that has to do with what we're trying to accomplish."</p><p>Maddux was picked by the Cubs in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft, then signed with the Braves as a free agent in 1992. In Atlanta, he established himself as the best control pitcher of his generation, and one of the most consistent winners in baseball history: Maddux has a major league-record 16 straight seasons with 15 or more wins _ the last 11 with Atlanta.</p><p>He returned to his baseball roots when he signed with the Cubs as a free agent in February. Maddux's consistency is one of his proudest accomplishments. He's 10-7 this season, well within reach of another 15-win season.</p><p>"To me, personally, my number is 15," he said. "I want to win 15 games this year. ... I know (300) sounds like a big number, but I'm not going to view myself any different if I finish with 299 or 301."</p><p>Giants center fielder Marquis Grissom, also a former teammate with Maddux on the Braves, considers him one of the best pitchers he's faced.</p><p>"He's kept himself in great shape and he's still able to win 15 games year after year," Grissom said. "That wasn't unexpected. Three hundred, that's pretty impressive. And he still has plenty left. I expect him to reach a whole bunch of milestones.</p><p>"Playing with him and watching his work habits and mind-set, when he comes to the ballpark, he doesn't joke around. I've never seen a more serious guy when he's working. There's no shortcut. There's just one way, and that's the right way."</p><p>In Maddux's only other outing against San Francisco this season, he allowed three earned runs and nine hits and struck out seven but failed to get a decision in the 5-3 loss May 20 at Wrigley Field.</p><p>Maddux will be ready this time. He is 23-14 in 42 career starts against the Giants with five complete games.</p><p>"This guy studies," Baker said. "He might get hit, but it's not because of lack of doing his homework. He studies hitters, he studies managers, he studies me. He's an honor student. Plus, he's very humble in how he is. He's sincere in his humility.</p><p>"I believe him when he says it's not about him, it's about the team."</p>
