US Baseball Pro

Paul Byrd made several changes after a rough outing against Minnesota last month. He altered his delivery, shaved his mustache and got a new glove.

A tip on his breaking ball from an unlikely source may have made the biggest difference in his resurgence.

Byrd tossed seven sharp innings to win his third straight start and Kelly Shoppach hit a two-run homer to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.

“When you get older you start to wonder, ‘Have I just lost my mojo? Have guys figured me out?”’ Byrd said. “I don’t know too many other ways I can change.”

Byrd allowed one run and six hits to improve to 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA in four starts since he gave up six runs and eight hits in a loss to the Twins on July 4.

Byrd got a tip after that difficult day last month, and intimated it came from Twins broadcaster and former pitcher Bert Blyleven.