Marlins hold players-only meeting: 'The fire is not there'

With aspirations of postseason baseball, the Miami Marlins 3-8 start is not sitting well with some on the roster. 

Following back-to-back losses to the New York Mets, the Marlins held a 30-minute players-only meeting on Saturday. 

"We're not giving ourselves a chance, it feels like," outfielder Giancarlo Stanton told Craig Davis of the Sun-Sentinel. "We've got a positive vibe, but (something) is just not there. The fire is not there, it seems like."

Stanton believes the biggest contributor to the Marlins' slow start has been the team's inability to focus for an entire game. 

"The game is nine innings," Stanton said. "It's not two, three. It doesn't matter if it's the fifth through the seventh, or the seventh through the ninth. It's not two innings, it's nine. We're not playing nine."

The Marlins made a number of additions in the offseason that complimented a young core in hopes that the team could build off a promising 2014 campaign that saw them improve from the season before by 15 wins.  

While manager Mike Redmond isn't thrilled about his team's start to the year, he is proud of his players for showing some accountability. 

"I think it's always good for players to talk amongst each other and motivate each other," Redmond said. 

"If they don't like something that's going on, they work that out amongst themselves. I think sometimes meetings like that can be productive, and hopefully it is for us."