Southern comfort? Yankees hope familiar surroundings jump-start slumping standouts

For the first time this season, the Yankees headed south for a series against a division rival, Tampa Bay. New York (11-7) is atop the American League East while the Rays (8-10) are fourth going into the teams' four-game series that starts Thursday. 

Despite New York's overall success, multiple Yankees have struggled, especially left-handed hitting catcher Austin Wells (.182 BA) and left-handed-hitting OF/1B Cody Bellinger (.185). 

For Wells, little is going right at the plate. Besides a terrible batting average, he has a poor .258 on-base percentage and a 24.2% strikeout rate. The positive from Wells' slow start is that six of his 10 hits, including three home runs, have gone for extra bases. 

Despite lacking consistency, Bellinger is excelling with runners in scoring position. In 10 at-bats in those situations, he's hitting .400 with seven RBI. With no runners on or a runner on first, Bellinger is only hitting .136. 

The power is there for both hitters, though. Wells has a 51.2% hard-hit rate, the fifth highest on the Yankees, while Bellinger is third with a 55.3% hard-hit rate. The figures are the highest of both players' careers.

Their struggles could be attributed to several factors: not acclimating to the colder weather, not seeing the ball well, the ball not finding holes or simply getting used to playing for a new team (Bellinger was acquired from the Cubs via trade in the offseason). 

Against Tampa Bay, both will play on familiar territory: George M. Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home and Rays temporary home ballpark. 

Wells and Bellinger dominated in spring training, giving the Yankees hope for a turnaround at the plate for each. Bellinger finished with the majors' second-most hits (22) and second-best batting average (.423). Meanwhile, Wells finished tied for the most home runs in the spring (six) and tied for the second-most hits on the team (16). 

In home games at Steinbrenner Field this spring, the pair were even better. In 14 games, Bellinger hit close to .450 and Wells hit four of his six home runs.  

For Bellinger and Wells, the series is a chance to kick-start their seasons. If they play up to their potential, New York could improve its position in the division.