Righty spent two years in Tampa, faces Rays Monday as a Royal.
Nate Karns is no stranger to bouncing around Major League Baseball. In 2009, the Washington Nationals selected him in the 12th round of the Amateur Draft. Shoulder surgery would derail his pro career in 2010 and he wouldn’t make even his minor league debut until 2011. After making his debut on May 28, 2013, Karns would go on to pitch in just three games at the MLB level with Washington before heading to the Rays in 2014 just before the team reported to Port Charlotte.
He spent two seasons with Tampa Bay. In 2015, the team named him their Rookie of the Year as he finished with a 7-5 record, 3.67 ERA, and 145 strikeouts in 147 innings. It seemed as if the rotation had a diamond in the rough with Karns. However, in November that same year, they would ship him off to Seattle in a six-player deal that would bring Brad Miller, Danny Farquhar, and Logan Morrison to Tampa. Three players that, two years later, remain with the team and have seen success.
Fast forward to Monday, May 8, 2017. Karns returns to Tropicana Field as a member of the Kansas City Royals after being traded from the Mariners back in January. Karns has struggled in 2017. In six games (5 starts) he’s 1-2 with a 4.97 ERA in 29 innings. Back on May 3, Karns threw six shutout innings in a victory over the White Sox allowing just a single hit and striking out seven.
Full line-up for Rays vs. Royals, first pitch @7:10. #rays #gorays pic.twitter.com/BVgY30ka71
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) May 8, 2017
Colby Rasmus has the most at-bats against Karns with eight (.250 avg, RBI).
Snell faces some struggling bats.
The Rays (16-17) will send LHP Blake Snell to the hill. He’ll be facing the Kansas City lineup for the first time in his career. In 2017, Snell has struggled to get through six innings, having done it just once (6.2 IP in first start v Blue Jays on April 6). Despite that, he’s kept the team in most of his starts and is 0-2 with a respectable 3.45 ERA. It will be Snell’s seventh start of the season.
The Royals have struggled mightily this season. Through 30 games (10-20), they’ve scored one run or fewer eleven times. As a team, they’re hitting an AL-worst .208 and have scored just 38 runs on the road. On top of that, the once feared bullpen is now very pedestrian. The unit has a 4.88 ERA and have five blown saves already.
Duffy back on the field.
Good news! Matt Duffy will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday in Clearwater as a member of the Charlotte Stone Crabs.
Matt Duffy will start his rehab assignment tomorrow with the Class-A @StoneCrabs. pic.twitter.com/mDmqHKL5vJ
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 8, 2017
MILESTONE ALERT!
Third baseman, Evan Longoria (538), needs just five more free passes to pass Ben Zobrist (542) on the all-time walks list in team history.
