MIAMI - Midway through the best game of his career, Scott Olsen was pitching as if double-parked. He threw a strike, caught the return toss from his catcher, took one step back to reposition himself and looked in for another signal.

The quick pace was understandable, because Olsen can't distance himself from last year fast enough.

An arrest, suspension and last-place ERA among National League starters made 2007 mostly miserable for Olsen, but he has revived his career this year and is the ace for the first-place Florida Marlins.

Olsen takes a 4-1 record and 2.22 ERA into today's start at Washington. Even the confident left-hander is surprised by his success.

"I don't think I would have thought things would have gone this well, that's for sure," he says.

The 24-year-old finished one strike shy of his first complete game Tuesday, allowing just two hits in 8 2/3 innings to beat Milwaukee 3-0. That sort of outing is an especially big deal for the Marlins, whose starters had the highest ERA in the major leagues last year. They've gone without a complete game since September 2006.

The rotation remains shaky, but Olsen has helped the Marlins stay atop the NL East despite the smallest payroll in the majors. They've spent more than three weeks in first place, and they're 6-1 when Olsen pitches.

"You see a certain swagger in him when he takes the mound," teammate Luis Gonzalez says. "I think he's turning the corner and becoming a professional pitcher. This guy is in his third year in the major leagues. For a left-hander, if you start to develop like that early, you're going to be around for a long time."

Olsen's string of strong starts has generated talk about his newfound changeup and quicker tempo on the mound, while the tribulations that plagued him in 2007 become old news.

Olsen was arrested last season on a drunken-driving charge, drew a fine for making an obscene gesture at fans in Milwaukee, and served a two-game suspension following a confrontation with a teammate. His pitching suffered, and he finished 10-15 with an ERA of 5.81, highest in the NL among starters with at least 162 innings.

"A very long year," Olsen says. "I've gotten my fair share of talks-to by my grandparents and my mom and by other people's parents."

Also providing guidance have been new pitching coach Mark Wiley and veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson. All the advice apparently helped, because Olsen has been a model citizen since the start of spring training, winning praise from teammates for his demeanor and work ethic.

In addition to expanding his repertoire, Olsen no longer dallies between deliveries, rarely straying more than a couple of steps from the rubber.

"It keeps me more focused," he says. "The less time I take is better for me."

When a hitter steps out of the batter's box to fidget, Olsen waits motionless on the rubber and glares over his glove.

He's pitching well this season, and he can't wait to throw another strike.

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