Drew, Reynolds produce big time on the big stage

PHOENIX -- So much for the inexperience of the Diamondbacks.

Little-known shortstop Stephen Drew and rookie third baseman Mark Reynolds made the pre-series argument that the Cubs had an advantage because of experience look silly with their home runs in Wednesday's 3-1 Game 1 victory.

"I've said all year that all of us young guys were kind of thrown in the middle of this and we kind of don't know what's going on," said Reynolds, whose seventh-inning home run off Carlos Marmol broke a 1-1 tie. "Personally, I don't realize the magnitude of the situation we're in, but just go out and have fun playing ball. That's what we know how to do and what we've been doing all year."

Drew came into the NLDS as Arizona's hottest hitter (12-for-29 in the final seven games), which raised his season average to a less than impressive .238.

Reynolds started the season at Class AA Mobile and hit .279 with 17 homers and 62 RBI after his recall in mid-May.

"Even though they're young and rookies, a lot of them, they don't play like rookies," said Game 1 winner Brandon Webb.

D'backs manager Bob Melvin didn't detect any nervousness in his kids in Game 1.

"I didn't really sense a whole lot of timidness or in awe of the situation or whatever from the first inning," Melvin said. "It was nice to see a group that is so young go out there and be pretty level-headed the better part of the game."

Excitable guy: D'backs closer Jose Valverde is a lot like Carlos Zambrano in that both pitchers can tick off the opposition with their emotional antics on the mound.

Valverde appeared more calm than normal in closing out Game 1 Wednesday, except for a fist pump and a leap into the air after the final out.

"I know a lot of other teams will look at his antics and take that as him showing them up," said teammate Eric Byrnes. "Knowing Valverde, he does that for himself. He doesn't do that to show anybody up."

Players' manager: Bob Melvin has done an impressive job of managing the Diamondbacks into the playoffs and is certain to get plenty of votes for manager of the year.

"Bob never knocks his players, ever," said pitcher Doug Davis, Thursday's Game 2 starter. "And I think that's a definite confidence booster for the young guys. He's never negative like that."

High praise: The way the D'backs hit Carlos Marmol in Game 1 impressed Bob Melvin.

"It's always nice to get a couple off a guy that's been, for the most part, especially for quite awhile, unhittable," Melvin said. "His numbers are video game numbers with the strikeouts and so forth."