Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton: 'The fire is not there'

Miami dropped its fourth straight to the Mets on Sunday afternoon and Giancarlo Stanton is not pleased.

The Marlins have won three of their first 13 games to begin the year, and while Stanton had success offensively in the series against New York, he acknowledged the club needs to become more consistent, according to ESPN.com.

"The fire is not there, it seems like. You always want to have it. But when you're out there and it's game time, it's just nothing there."

Even after signing Stanton to a $325 million contract in November, the Marlins were notably active, and as a result, expectations were high heading into the season. Miami was able to earn its first series victory over the Braves early last week, but inconsistent production from its lineup and pitching staff led to another series loss last weekend.

Dee Gordon has had success at the top of the lineup and Stanton's bat warmed up against the Mets. However, Christian Yelich, Michael Morse, and Martin Prado have all cooled off of late, and the Marlins are relying on those middle of the order bats to contribute to the offense's ability to guide the pitching staff.

While the Marlins' offense has been limited by solid pitching staffs through the first two weeks of the season, the rotation has also had to pitch around an injury to Henderson Alvarez. With Alvarez on the disabled list, the Marlins slotted David Phelps into the rotation and promoted Jose Urena. Urena has had difficulty finding the strike zone in his first few outings, and the Marlins' bullpen has been used often early.

Miami called a players-only meeting prior to Saturday night's game in New York, and The Miami Herald's Clark Spencer noted he could not recall a season where a meeting had been arranged this early in the year.

Stanton could have said the club lacked "fire" in order to get his teammates motivated, but regardless, the Marlins still have time. Two weeks into the season, the club is struggling, but things could turn around as the Marlins pursue a distinct identity.