he eludes to that in the article, saying that part of the improvement is that Hughes has matured and is making better pitches.
... which is reflected in the stats. I don't see how your second sentence backs up your first... or connects to it at all, really. The stats don't definitively say why something happened. They just show what has happened, and possibly give some insight into what's going to happen based on what has happened before. In other words, it is very possible that a significant portion of Hughes' statistical improvement is due to maturing as a pitcher. (He's still only 23.) But I'm sure no one expects him to pitch to a sub-2.00 ERA for the rest of the season, right? Well, why should we expect that to increase, and why is it so low right now? The short, uninformative answer would be, "Well, he's pitched really well and is bound to have some bad games." The more in-depth stats let you look at how he's pitched better compared to league averages and career norms, so you'll know whether it's something typically under his control or not. And has added a pitch, too. (The cutter.)
