The Blue Jays called a players-only meeting on Thursday after losing their ninth game in 11 and dropping the series to the Rays.

Coming off a second-place finish in the AL East last year, the Blue Jays hoped to take a step forward in 2023. Two months into the season, they're struggling to meet those expectations.

On Thursday, Toronto lost to the Rays, 6-3. It capped a 1-3 series against another division rival on the back of a series sweep at the hands of the Orioles and a 1-3 series loss to the Yankees.

Following the defeat, their ninth in 11 games, players "called a closed door players' meeting," according to Hazel Mae of SportsNet.

AL East standings: Blue Jays flounder at bottom

The Al East is one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Despite technically still holding a winning record on the season, the Blue Jays find themselves at the bottom of the standings and 10.5 games out of first place.

Their last three series have come against other teams in the division and they've gone 2-9.

Manager Joh Schneider, who has had his own notable mishaps, seemed to appreciate the players' calling a meeting to address their slide.

"The players kinda beat me to it," Scheider told SportsNet. "The players are driving this They're living it. They have a set of standards they live by and right now it's not up to their expectations.

"It carries more weight from the players. Obviously myself and the staff is here to support that. Me personally, I think when players are holding themsees accountable and when p'ayers are living what we're expecting, the message is delivered a little more firmly."

Toronto will remain on the road through the weekend. They have three games against the Twins to try to prove that they're capable of turning a corner after getting "punched right in the face," as Schnieder put it.