Spikes Nail Down the NL West

By KYLE KEOUGH
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

Omaha Spikes (NL) austinfan1 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

In each of their first three seasons, the Omaha Spikes have improved. From 77, to 85, to 91 wins, the Spikes are now looking to join the elite in Double Day.

Through 28 games, Omaha has been the toast of the league, enjoying a league-best 21-7 record thanks to a dominant young rotation that has reinvigorated a team that enjoyed one of the best second-halfs in baseball last season.

Since the All-Star Break, the Spikes' play has itself spiked, as the ran away with the NL West at the end of last season and now seem positioned to do the same this year. Along the way, the Spikes have joined the conversation as one of Double Day's best overall teams.

While the offense has been otherwise forgettable as an average bunch, Omaha's spectacular rotation--and a stalwart bullpen--has led their surge to the top of the baseball heap. Omaha's team-wide 2.76 ERA ranks first in baseball, a year after they finished the season fifth with a 3.61 ERA.

That's in large part thanks to offseason moves brokered between Omaha and willing partners, as Omaha made the transition to being a pitching-first ballclub. Newcomer Steve Hollandsworth (3-0, 3.60 ERA) has added to an already potent rotation that includes Gary Mann (3-1, 1.88 ERA) and the surging Paul James (5-0, 1.15 ERA). James looks like an early Cy Young candidate and Mann and Hollandsworth are two of the five best young pitchers currently in the majors. Omaha conceivably has the best trio of young pitchers in baseball, and will hope to someday surpass Durham as having baseball's best pitching trio, period.

Their bullpen is equally stocked, with elite setup men Jaime Collins and Alex Ramsey clearing the way for Danny Diaz, who has already notched 10 saves on the year.

While their offense doesn't have last season's punch, it does harbor a stable of good hitters, among them Willie Guapo, Felipe Guerrero, and Timo Bynum. And the team has very high expectations for a platoon between Rod Saunders and young upstart Quilvio Mendez, who is hitting .333 in his debut ML season.

With a bevy of talent, the Spikes look to remain positioned atop the NL West all season, and have nailed down a 7-game lead already. The Spikes could very well be making a return trip to the postseason - this time, they won't just be happy to get there.