Diamondbacks down but not depressed

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.”

The Diamondbacks have left 19 men on base in the two games and have had five more erased on the bases, three on double plays, one trying to steal and another trying to stretch a single into a double. Stephen Drew was tagged out after leaving the bag in the ninth inning in Game 2 when he thought he had been forced at second.

Although much of the focus on the Rockies has centered on their high-octane offense, Colorado’s pitchers were the stingiest in the National League in the second half, posting a 3.86 team earned-run average after the All-Star break. And they have been even better in the playoffs, holding the Diamondbacks to three runs in the first two games of the NLCS to lower their postseason ERA to 1.91.

The relievers have been especially tough, with four pitchers combining for 2 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 1 and five relievers permitting one run in six innings Friday, lowering the bullpen’s playoff ERA to 0.90.

Game-time temperatures for the first two games of the series in Phoenix were a balmy 93 and 87 degrees, respectively. But both teams will be bundled up today with forecasts calling for rain with the temperature in the low 40s with a windchill just above freezing.

“Hopefully the rain stays away,” Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said just before the Rockies’ off-day practice was cut short by rain. “It’s always kind of icky playing in those games where it’s raining and maybe there’s a delay.

“I don’t who it would favor. [But] we don’t want to deal with it.”

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kevin.baxter@latimes.com