Feeling disrespected, Arizona Diamondbacks embrace underdog role vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — The Arizona Diamondbacks keep hearing it over and over, and frankly, they’re tired, sick and disgusted by it. 

They’re not supposed to be here. 

They won just 84 games. 

They backed into the playoffs. 

They need to readjust the playoff format. 

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Enough is enough. 

How about: The Arizona Diamondbacks are a darn good baseball team, deserve to be here as much as any team in the postseason, and, if you don’t believe in them, just shut up and watch?

"I think this team has a chip on its shoulder," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says. "We take it personal when we watch some of the comments on television or read some of the things where everybody wanted to be re-seeded. ... Re-seed this thing so the Braves can pick on the lowly Diamondbacks. 

"I think this team takes that very personally, and hopefully people are recognizing that you can't just walk all over us. We're a good baseball team. We do things right. We do it in a very uncommon way. 

"We care about things that other teams probably don't care about or talk about, and it's showing up every single day for us." 

When asked to elaborate, Lovullo retreated momentarily, and then launched again into the disrespect the country is showing toward the biggest underdog remaining in baseball's Elite 8. 

"I don't want to be arrogant with that statement," Lovullo says. "I don't know what happens inside of every clubhouse or every dugout, but we talk about the minutiae, the granular wins, the pitch-by-pitch wins.  

"We believe in playing fundamental baseball, picking up the baseball, throwing it to the right base, practicing at a very fast pace, digging in, not giving away at-bats. I think a lot of teams have it. We just talk about it. I think we have to because we're young and we have to instruct and teach these players through the course of the day and have those conversations. 

"It's just coming together at the right time for us and it looks good. We want to keep it there." 

Certainly, there’s not a playoff team remaining playing better than the D-backs. 

They were swept by the Houston Astros the final weekend of the season at home in Phoenix, still partied like it was 2001 when they clinched a wild-card berth on the next-to-final day, went to Milwaukee, snuffed the Brewers out in two days after trailing each game, and then treated Dodgers future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw like it was batting practice in Game 1 in their 11-2 romp. 

This was a team that was 5-24 at Dodger Stadium in the past two years, starting a pitcher (Merrill Kelly) who was 0-11 and winless in 16 games at Dodger Stadium, facing a pitcher who yielded a 1.60 ERA in 21 career starts against them at Dodger Stadium, and spent the night laughing their way to the fifth-largest rout against the Dodgers in their proud franchise history. 

"Winning the first day in Milwaukee, coming back on Corbin Burnes," said Lovullo, whose team was down 3-0 in the second inning, "I think told us a story we could beat anybody at any time."

The Diamondbacks enter Game 2 on Monday night at Dodger Stadium not necessarily cocky, but they’re sure riding a wave of bravado. They know they have a real chance to put the Dodgers on life support with a victory, believing they have the lopsided pitching matchup with ace Zac Gallen going against rookie Bobby Miller. 

Win again, and, hey, maybe then the baseball world outside the state of Arizona will pay attention. 

"I would venture to say that other than the 26 guys, 28 guys in that clubhouse," Gallen says, "I don't know anyone else who thinks that we should be here, thinks that we deserve to be here. 

"The guys in the clubhouse know it's a good team. And I think anyone who has been following baseball knows we're a good team. We hit a little bit of a skid in the second half, you could call it.  

"But I think it's definitely a team that's probably overlooked. I definitely think a chip on the shoulder is probably a good way to summarize it." 

The Diamondbacks realize that if not for the expanded playoffs, they’d be sitting at home. They lost 25 of 32 games at one point in the second half. They have Gallen and Merrill Kelly and a bunch of kids in the rotation. They remade their bullpen. 

Yet, they thrived when it counted, beating the Chicago Cubs in six of seven games to overcome them and claim the final wild-card spot, and their offense has turned into a powerhouse. They’ve scored 22 runs in 27 innings with eight homers and six doubles. They were the first team in postseason history Saturday to have eight different players produce at least one extra-base hit in a nine-inning game. 

So, you think the D-backs have confidence? 

"This is a very young, energized team with something to prove every single day," Lovullo says. "This team's hungry. I want to be humble, but this team is extremely motivated, extremely connected and extremely hungry." 

Certainly, they’re not scared. 

They looked square in the eye at Kershaw on Saturday, listened to the sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium taunting them, and shrugged. 

They reminded themselves this isn’t the same Kershaw who dominated the National League with three Cy Young Awards and has a plaque ready for the Hall of Fame. 

This is a 34-year-old pitcher with an aging body, an 88-mph fastball, and dulled command. 

They took full advantage, actually believing that Game 1 was a must-win for them if they’re going to win this series, and certainly have no fear if they meet him again in Game 4. 

There’s no pressure at all on the D-backs. 

It’s all on the Dodgers’ shoulders, who won the NL West by 16 games, and have dominated the D-backs for the past two decades. 

"Nobody expects us to be here," Gallen said. "We're kind of playing with house money. You see us play our best baseball when we're playing kind of easy, carefree." 

So, please, keep disregarding the Diamondbacks. 

Keep telling them they’ve got no shot. 

Remind them they’re lucky to even be in the postseason. 

Bring it all on. 

"I think if you look at any team, they're going to find a way to create some sort of chip," Gallen says. "I read stories of Michael Jordan talking about how he would craft things that probably never even happened just to fire him up. I think you just have to find things that are going to motivate you. And for us, there's a lot of guys in there that have definitely been overlooked. 

"I think there's a lot of guys, even young guys, that have things to prove that some people think, 'Oh, they haven't been in the big leagues very long or whatever.' I think there's a lot of guys that are trying to prove that they belong and that they're going to be mainstays in this game. 

"I think it's obviously easier said than done, but I honestly think those guys expect to be here. They expect to succeed, expect to excel. It's kind of just really what it is."  

And, if you need a friendly reminder, just check out the scoreboard. 

The Diamondbacks' name still illuminates brightly. 

"We’re good, I keep saying we’re a good team," D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte said. "We’ve just got to keep playing. We don’t need to talk a lot. We don’t need to talk a lot. 

"Be quiet and play hard."

But, as far as everyone else, please, the D-backs plead, don’t stop talking.