Phil Hughes, who has always tinkered with his repertoire, is crediting his success this season with heavier use of curve balls and fewer sliders.

"My slider was kind of a pitch that got me out of some spots last year, I guess you could say," Hughes said, "but it definitely wasn't a quality pitch."

Hughes signed with the Minnesota Twins this past offseason after beginning his career with the New York Yankees.

A first-round pick in 2004, the right-hander has teamed a curve with his big fastball this year.

"I just started to think back about what type of pitcher I was at my best, whether that was in the minor leagues or when I first came up," Hughes said. "The curveball was always at the forefront of that. So that was kind of the reasoning behind going back to the curveball and scrapping the slider. I was just like, 'My curveball can be good; I know it can be good. I just have to work on it and focus on it and throw it.'"

Hughes, who had a 5.19 ERA last season, is 5-1 with a 3.23 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 61.1 innings (10 starts).