Cody Bellinger Found the Secret Sauce Against Lefties and the Yankees Are Done Playing Around

The Yankees have been a mess against left-handed pitching all season. Then Saturday happened, and everything flipped. They demolished Kansas City's Noah Cameron, crushed the Royals 13-4, and suddenly there's real confidence brewing at Yankee Stadium. Now they're going for the sweep Sunday, and honestly, the Royals might be in trouble.

Bellinger Broke Through and Brought Everyone With Him

Look at this: Cody Bellinger came into Saturday 3-for-17 off lefties. Brutal. But against Cameron? He ripped a pair of two-run homers and drove in five runs. The guy is on fire right now, hitting .357 over his past seven games. That's the kind of stretch that changes how pitchers approach you.

Bellinger's explosion wasn't alone either. The Yankees went 7-for-20 with three homers total off Cameron. That performance bumped their batting average against left-handers up 19 points to .179. Ben Rice also homered for the third straight game, a first in his career, and he's now hitting .313 off lefties this season after sitting at .208 against southpaws last year. Amed Rosario added a two-run homer and is hitting .293 off lefties dating back to last season. This wasn't one guy carrying the load. This was the whole lineup waking up.

Sunday Brings a Familiar Test and a Familiar Script

The Yankees will throw lefty Ryan Weathers (0-2, 4.29 ERA) at Kansas City, who will counter with Cole Ragans (0-3, 3.78 ERA). Weathers struggled Tuesday in a 7-1 loss to the Angels but somehow struck out 10 in five-plus innings. He did allow five runs and became the first Yankee and 17th pitcher all-time to record at least 10 strikeouts and allow four homers in the same game.

Ragans has been quiet in his last outing, allowing just one hit in six scoreless innings against Detroit on Tuesday, though he took a no-decision in a 2-1 loss. The Royals have been brutal against New York lately, sitting on a 10-game losing streak in this matchup since their 2024 ALDS win.

The Royals Are Running Out of Excuses

Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro tried to spin Saturday's blowout, saying "every game this week has been a really close game" and the team is "running hard, preparing hard." But that's not going to cut it when you get demolished 13-4. Bobby Witt Jr. managed only one hit and is 5-for-20 on this road trip. The Royals are 0-6 in their last six and 9-11 in their past 11 games overall.

Sunday at Yankee Stadium? This could get ugly fast.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.