B.J. Upton has been around long enough to realize it's a no-win proposition to take the game home with him. So after particularly frustrating nights at the park, he'll linger in the clubhouse as long as necessary to flush the negative vibes from his system. Maybe he'll duck into the video room and queue up another tough at-bat for a second look or sit at his locker immersed in thought while other players shower and dress for the team bus.

With the exception of an occasional outburst -- such as a spirited confrontation with umpire Doug Eddings over a called third strike Sunday in Philadelphia -- Upton maintains a cool exterior and barely speaks above a whisper. But the discomfort is palpable when he's standing at home plate and he looks up at the scoreboard and sees the fluorescent lights mocking him in return. Nothing makes them look bigger or shine brighter than a .173 batting average.

"It's rough," Upton says. "This definitely isn't how I pictured it going coming into the season -- and I'm obviously not satisfied. When you know you're better than what you're doing on the field, it makes it tough."

In the case of B.J. and younger brother Justin, that sentiment resonates in stereo.

The Braves remade their outfield during the offseason with a double dose of Upton power. In November, they signed B.J. to a five-year, $75.25 million deal as a free agent. Two months later, they added Justin to the mix in a seven-player trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Uptons posed with right fielder Jason Heyward for the cover of the team's 2013 media guide and were a prominent feel-good story in spring training. As the city of Atlanta came to grips with Chipper Jones' retirement, Braves fans were simultaneously stoked about the prospect of Manny and Yvonne's two sons joining the Shannons (Joe and Red), Cooneys (Jimmy and Johnny), Tylers (Fred and Lefty) Torres, (Joe and Frank), Mahlers (Mickey and Rick), Drews (J.D. and Tim), and, of course, Niekros and Aarons as the ninth set of brothers to play for the franchise.

Everything was great -- on paper. Five months later, the Uptons are flashing a little too much Tommie Aaron and not nearly enough Hank.

Justin broke out of the gate with a flurry, hitting 12 homers and slugging .734 in April to win the National League player of the month award. The Diamondbacks feared he might bust out in new environs and make them regret bailing on him too soon. But did he need to make the point so emphatically in April?

It didn't last. Even though Justin contributed a big two-run double Monday in Atlanta's 7-1 win over Miami, he is hitting .223 (49-for-220) with three home runs and 23 RBIs since May. Bryce Harper overtook him for the NL's final starting All-Star outfield spot, and he mercifully won't have to go to New York and answer questions about why he backed his way onto the NL squad.

B.J.'s season has been a slog from the outset. Among the 161 players listed in ESPN's stats, he ranks last in batting average and 158th in OPS at .567. Only the White Sox's Jeff Keppinger is worse. Things bottomed out in early June when B.J. was hitting .146 and Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez ruminated aloud about the possibility of sending him to the minors for a refresher course.

The All-Star Game is coming at a fortuitous time for the Uptons. B.J. will go home to Florida. Justin will take a break at his home in Arizona, and they'll have a chance to clear their heads and start fresh. They're intent on turning things around so this doesn't become the worst collaboration by a pair of siblings since the Farrelly brothers made "Hall Pass."

"I think I've looked at enough film and been in the cage enough," B.J. says. "It's just a matter of going out and doing it. I feel great up there now, but it's just not happening. It can't go that way all year. At least, I hope it doesn't. I'll break out of it -- hopefully sooner rather than later."

Free-agent blues

B.J. isn't the first free agent to labor in his first year with a new club. Josh Hamilton is producing well below his career norm in Anaheim. Last year, Albert Pujols hit .217 with a .570 OPS in his first month as an Angel. The year before that, Jayson Werth entered the All-Star break with a .215 batting average as a National. And who can forget Adam Dunn, who hit .159 and logged a wins above replacement of minus-2.8 with the White Sox in 2011 after signing a four-year, $56 million deal as a free agent?

The natural takeaway: Even players with abundant self-confidence and lengthy track records can fall victim to self-imposed pressure and a desire to justify the big dollars invested in them. In the case of the Upton brothers, a residual trace of empathy might have to be factored into the equation.

"I'm not a psychologist," Braves hitting coach Greg Walker says, "but they see each other scuffling, and I know they worry about each other. They love each other like brothers and they worry. They're human."

After hitting 12 home runs in April, Justin Upton has left the yard only three times since. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Beyond the mental and emotional factors, the brothers have enough mechanical issues to occupy a pair of swing doctors. Walker and his assistant, Scott Fletcher, have tried every drill and pregame ritual imaginable to turn things around. As a complement to underhand flips in the cage, the Uptons have taken their hacks against overhand tosses with a little more zip. They've also taken batting practice from closer than the usual 60 feet -- a la Alex Johnson during his batting title days with the California Angels -- as a possible antidote to bad timing.

After a decade-plus as a hitting instructor with the White Sox and Braves, Walker has learned that no piece of information is too trivial to be discounted, so he's on alert for every snippet he can glean about the Uptons from current or former teammates, coaches or anyone else who can help. He has exchanged cellphone numbers with the Uptons' father, Manny -- aka "Bossman" -- and maintains an open line of communication with the man who knows their personalities and swings more intimately than anyone else.

"They'll come in and say, 'I was talking to my dad, and he reminded me of this,'" Walker says. "And 100 percent of the time, I've agreed with him. He's known them since they were kids. He helped create them. I've never been against a player talking to somebody else. I encourage it if I feel they're getting the right message. In this case, that's not the problem."

The problem is related more to mechanical flaws than a lack of plate discipline or a change in approach. Earlier this season, B.J. had so much excess motion in his swing that he was consistently late on balls. He eventually remedied that issue, but now he's plagued by too much lower-body movement and a tendency to spin off balls. He is also a victim of what Walker calls "bad posture," leaning so far back in his stance at times that he's essentially swinging uphill.

Justin's problems are more evident with his upper half. Rather than using his top hand to pull the bat back, he's pushing forward and cutting himself off midswing. As Walker explains, the glitch is doing a number on both his swing plane and his bat "whip."

"They're both physically gifted to hit fastballs," Walker says. "Sometimes it's approach, but most of the time with these two, it's swing mechanics. They have things that come out when the game speeds up that beat them. In B.J.'s case, it usually starts with his lower half. With Justin, it usually starts with his top hand."