Tyler Flowers has a catching problem. You know it, he knows it; it’s more frustrating for him than it is any spectator.
The Braves’ co-starting backstop saw balls get by him in losses Sunday and Monday. He’s had four passed balls in his past seven games and 13 overall (in 49 starts), which ties him for most in the majors.
“I’m just in a funk,” he said. “I catch different than most. I’ve equated it to hitting with a leg kick, there’s lots of moving pieces to sync up. I just have to do a better job syncing them up, that’s really what it is. A lot of them were surprises to me. I feel like I’m there, I feel like I’m on it. And the last second I’m not accounting for enough movement or something along those lines.”
Flowers’ gaff loomed large Monday, when it advanced Adam Eaton and helped the Nationals score their first run. Flowers essentially views this like a slump. He felt he improved in the second half of the game and noticed inconsistencies in his approach.
“I found something I wasn’t doing that I normally do that I wasn’t doing,” he said. “I wasn’t doing it soon enough so it was causing some things to rush. It’s just like hitting. You get in a funk, it’s just one of those things going on. It’s not fun. I know it’s not fun to watch. It’s not fun to do either. I’m working on it, trying to get it cleaned back up to do what I’m good at.”
Brian McCann can’t carry the load, so Flowers will receive ample chances to clean up his fundamentals. He’s a 33-year-old veteran. The Braves trust he’ll get himself sorted out.
In the meantime, McCann was back in the lineup Tuesday with the Nationals starting right-hander Erick Fedde. The team has prospect Alex Jackson in the minors, who will be promoted in September unless needed earlier, but lacks further MLB-ready depth to spell its battery pair.
Flowers, a mainstay with the Braves since 2016, is attached to a $6 million team option for 2020. While the Braves appreciate Flowers’ clubhouse presence and how he handles their younger players, it’s likely the next two months are a showcase for his next deal, be it the option year or a free-agent contract.
“I don’t know if it’s his style of receiving that he has to amend a little bit, or not try to be so active with his glove,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “There’s been a few (passed balls). I know he doesn’t like it more than anybody else.”
