It wasn’t just a pep talk. It was also a reminder.
A reminder the Mets haven’t lost faith in Wilmer Flores despite his making seven errors in 27 games.
“I told him today, ‘Fresh start, Day 1. Let’s get after it, and be the player we know you can be,’ ” manager Terry Collins said.
Flores performed like that player Tuesday night, lashing a key double off the wall in left field as part of the Mets’ three-run fourth inning that led to a 3-2 victory over the Orioles at Citi Field.
Just as importantly, Flores handled all four chances that came his way in the field, looking more confident and comfortable there after being given Saturday and Sunday off to clear his head following a difficult week on defense.
“It makes you feel he has your back,” Flores said of the pregame chat with Collins. “That’s special. It makes you play even harder.”
In an interview with ESPN Radio on Monday, general manager Sandy Alderson said he remains confident with Flores’ ability to play the position. He pointed to the 51 games he played there with the Mets last year, when he committed just four errors, and said his struggles thus far, are just that — struggles. Not a sign he can’t handle the workload at shortstop.
Collins said he hasn’t seen anything fundamentally different in Flores’ defense, other than the pressure he now has, as the shortstop for a first-place team. He’s not filling in anymore. He’s the guy.
“It’s hard — it’s very hard here,” Collins said. “This is not a place where mistakes are looked upon very well.”
Flores has the job primarily because of his offense and his hitting ability. He’s shown flashes of that prowess — hitting a team-high three home runs in 78 at-bats to go with four doubles — and was hitting for average before a recent 3-of-20 slide dropped him to .244. That was a major reason Collins gave him the weekend break, after watching Flores strike out four times against Nationals ace Max Scherzer. The manager doesn’t want to see Flores’ offense negatively affected by his defense.
Flores said he isn’t concerned about his production at the plate.
“I’m pretty sure I’m going to hit,” said Flores, who hit well at every minor league level. “There’s no doubt about that. Just try to relax and get my confidence there.”
Collins just felt the need to make sure Flores knew the club still felt he was its shortstop, and a few errors wouldn’t change that.
“The one thing he has to understand is we’re all behind him, every single one of us,” Collins said.