DENVER -- The Arizona Diamondbacks might be down 0-2, but they're not out of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, outfielder Eric Byrnes said Saturday. In fact, if you ask him, they have outplayed the Colorado Rockies even though the scoreboard hasn't reflected that.
"I'm sure you guys are all probably writing us off. I don't blame you," he told reporters before a brisk late-afternoon workout at Coors Field. "We haven't done a whole lot to make you guys think we're going to win this series. [But] I also don't think the Rockies have outplayed us, because they haven't. Not even close.
"If anything I think it's the other way around. So that gives us confidence knowing that we can play with them. We are not really fazed right now."
The Diamondbacks fought back against Rockies closer Manny Corpas in the ninth inning of Game 2 Friday, forcing extra innings. And though they wound up losing two innings later when their closer, the usually dependable Jose Valverde, walked in the winning run, Byrnes said the team didn't appear distraught on its predawn flight to Denver.
"Our plane ride was like lots of plane rides," he said. "Lots of trash talking. Look, we've been in this position. We've played every one of our games this year with people looking at it like 'Wow, you guys aren't going to come back' or 'There's no way you're going to hold on to this lead.'
"And then we ended up winning 90 games, winning the West. And everyone said, how did you do it? We did it because we have a good group of guys that believe in themselves and have a lot of fun playing together."
"We're fine. This is a team that's scratched and clawed for everything that we've gotten all year. We never expected it to come easy. And I think it's kind of fitting that we're in this position right now."
The Diamondbacks have outhit the Rockies in both games of the NLCS, but only two of their 18 hits have come with runners in scoring position, continuing a trend they established during the regular season when they had the lowest average in the league with RISP.
"We've gotten, obviously, enough hits in big situations to win 90 games this season," Arizona Manager Bob Melvin said. "I can't really explain it. Our group has the potential to hit higher, yet they've all showed up just enough in certain games this year."
