By Jason Beck
SportsLine Staff Writer

All Brian Meadows has to reflect his 3-0 start in 1999 is the slight change of tone in his Alabama drawl. His assignment last weekend against a Braves squad he followed as a kid brought little more than the crack of a smile.

Then again, the rest of the league is about as nonchalant over the Marlins' second-year starter. The only difference is that Meadows can blame his laid-back Southern roots.

"I'm pretty lucky with that," he said. "Not too many things bother me. I'm pretty much a laid-back guy. Everything's the same. I've never really been bothered by the outside pressures. I get nervous, but I'm not going to get stressed out."

Brian Meadows has a surprising 3-1 record for the struggling Marlins. (Allsport)

It's an easygoing approach for a guy who had to find more aggressiveness and confidence over the offseason to reach this point. He needed assurances to start hitters off with a fastball that won't overpower hitters at around 90 miles per hour, but will look nastier than nibbling at the corners with his pesky offspeed repertoire. He needed another pitch to throw a few times a game and make his fastball look harder.

The results at least give Florida fans a reason for excitement. His three wins are more than the rest of the pitching staff combined. His ratio of 20 strikeouts to five walks is easily best on the team. He's the only starter to hold opposing hitters under .250.

"Last year I tried to probably start a lot of people off with offspeed pitches," he said. "I'd end up getting behind and I'd get hit. This year it's pretty much fastballs. Here it is -- hit it. And it's worked out very good for me. I've gotten ahead of a lot more hitters than I usually do, and it's pretty much in my hands. I can make my pitches and get my outs. I just learned how to pitch ahead."

"He gets up to the mound and delivers the ball," Marlins manager John Boles said. "He's got very good tempo, and he's able to throw all four of his pitches for strikes at any point in the count."

His value was most apparent during Florida's only road trip so far this year. His two wins were the only Marlins victories on the nine-game trek. His 7-2 victory over the Giants on April 20 required just 93 pitches over seven-plus innings and lasted 2 hours, 42 minutes.

"I think that everyone expects me to go out and have quick games," Meadows said. "I go out and throw strikes. That's my strong point and my weak point sometimes. Everyone knows I'm going to go out and challenge people, and in return the defense is more alert and makes more plays behind me. They get more action."

It's not as if Meadows can't endure long outings. Although he spent the offseason in Miami for conditioning, he finished the last two years around 175 innings dating back to his final minor-league season at Double-A Portland. He struggled from August down the stretch last year with an ERA well above 6.00, but his 31 starts easily topped Tony Saunders' team rookie record of 21.

"I felt like I had nothing to prove," he said. "They gave me a chance to be up here, so what did I have to prove. I got pulled early a few times last year, but it was to my benefit. They just give me the ball every fifth day ... As far as that goes, everything's in my hands."

His other offseason prize was a fourth pitch to go with his fastball, slower curveball and above-average changeup. Meadows calls it a slider; Boles says it's a cutter. Whatever it is has given him the element of surprise and more confidence on the mound. His difference in strikeouts is already apparent. He fanned just 88 batters all of last year.

"I don't throw it all that much," he said. "Just the fact that I can gives me that little bit of an edge to throw my two-seam fastball like I usually do. It's a pitch that's helping me now, but when I really develop it, it's going to be a great pitch."

Sunday's 5-1 defeat, Meadows' first loss of the season, was also his first game without at least seven runs of offensive support. For that, he has good reason to stay calm about his recent success. He wants to surpass his 11 wins from last year, and he's already a quarter of the way there. He's not the power pitcher fans get excited about, but he's steadily working toward becoming the level-headed craftsman that gives hitters fits.