Karns fell to 3-3 with a loss Tuesday against the Angels. He allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Karns gave up another home run, his ninth of the season, to Albert Pujols in the fifth inning. Karns is running a poor walk rate (3.86 BB/9) and a poor home run rate (1.2 HR/9), a combination that typically doesn't end well. His ERA sits at 3.86 for now.

Karns gave up four runs on five hits and three walks to go with three strikeouts in five innings Wednesday against the Angels.

Karns surrendered a home run to Mike Trout in the first, an RBI single to Albert Pujols in the third, and a two-run home run to Johnny Giavotella in the fourth. With three walks on Wednesday, Karns is now third in the AL in walks allowed with 27. The 27-year-old will face the Angels again Tuesday in his next scheduled start.

Karns turned in a strong performance Friday night, tossing six shutout innings against the Orioles. He allowed just one hit, walked two, and struck seven, but came away with a no-decision in a 2-1 loss.

Karns (3-2, 3.32 ERA) has recently been a huge help to the Rays and their injury-riddled starting rotation, but the team continues to closely monitor his workload which somewhat limits his fantasy value. He threw just 87 pitches (52 for strikes) in this one and it appears he is likely to continue having shorter outings.

Karns (3-2) allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk, with two strikeouts over 5.2 innings, in a loss to the A's on Saturday.

The right-hander fell one out short of a quality start, marking the seventh time he has failed to meet the criteria for a quality start in nine turns this season. However, while he hasn't gone deep into his outings consistently, Karns has been effective lately with a 2.38 ERA and 21:6 K:BB in his last four starts. The Rays gave Karns extra rest this time through but haven't indicated they will take addition measures to curb his workload.

Karns will receive extra rest and have his next start pushed back to Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Karns has been decent enough recently to at least think this is the Rays giving a young starter some rest and not trying to limit the number of times he sees the mound for them in lieu of other starters. He has a 2.08 ERA and 24:7 K/BB ratio in his last four starts and is looking much better than in his first four starts (5.32 ERA).

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Nathan Karns will have his next start pushed back to Saturday against the Oakland A's, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Nathan Karns will have his next start pushed back to Saturday against the Oakland A's, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Karns, who has tallied a 2.08 earned-run average in his last four starts, will receive extra rest in order to keep him fresh this season.

Karns (3-1) picked up the win Wednesday against the visiting Yankees, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks while fanning six over five innings.

Karns has been a surprisingly credible pitcher of late, lowering his ERA from 5.32 to 3.77 over his past four starts. And it hasn't been smoke and mirrors -- he's shown significantly improved control. Karns posted an unattractive 20:14 K:BB over his first four starts of the year, but has since put up 24 strikeouts against only seven walks in his last 21.2 innings. He hasn't achieved must-add status by any means, but Karns has clearly turned a corner and should be at least checked in on in mixed leagues.

Karns allowed two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out a career-high nine over seven-plus innings in an 8-2 win against Texas on Friday night.

Karns (2-1, 3.79 ERA) figured to be the odd man out when Alex Cobb returned from the disabled list, but Cobb will now be undergoing Tommy John surgery and will be lost to the Rays for the season. It was a very strong performance by Karns who had shut the Rangers out for seven innings before allowing a home run and a single to start the eighth.

Karns is the likely odd man out for the Rays when Alex Cobb returns from the DL, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times speculates.

Cobb isn't eligible to return for another two weeks, but this is still worth noting for Karns. The 27-year-old has lost his control, currently leading the league in walks and wild pitches, and will need some time in Triple-A to re-find his mechanics before the Rays willingly take another chance on him.

Karns got a no-decision Monday, allowing a run in 4.1 innings against the Yankees.

It was the shortest outing of the season for Karns, who struck out five in the start. The righty will close April with a 1-1 record and 4.76 ERA. His next start will come against the Orioles this weekend.

Karns struggled Wednesday against visiting Boston, giving up five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out only three in six innings.

The Rays ended up on the winning side of things, but none of those thanks go to Karns, who's managed to walk 14 batters in 23.2 innings over four starts. He's not going to get the boot from starting yet, but Karns' control issues have to have the Rays wondering who else they might be able to plug into the rotation.

Karns allowed two runs on two hits, walking four and striking out seven over five innings, but was left with a no-decision in the Rays 5-4 loss to the Yankees on Friday night.

That's two respectable starts after being thrashed by Baltimore earlier this year. He now has a modest 4.58 ERA as he tries to solidify his claim to a rotation spot while several other Tampa Bay hurlers are on the disabled list. He limited the damage in this one to a pair of solo home runs, but he needed 106 pitches (68 for strikes) to collect 15 outs. That will surely need to improve if he is to remain in the rotation.

Karns pitched well Sunday and held the Marlins to two runs on two hits over seven innings while striking out six.

He was pounded in the first two innings against the Orioles in his debut Tuesday, but Karns bounced back in a big way during his second start of the week. In Sunday's outing, Karns stayed ahead of the Miami hitters consistently (18 first-pitch strikes over 26 batters faced), while getting nearly half of his contact outs on the ground. While Karns' time in the rotation may hinge entirely on the health of Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly, and Alex Colome, he can stretch out the opportunity as long as possible by outperforming the Rays' current alternatives. He'll make a home start against the Yankees on Friday in his next scheduled outing.

Karns gave up six earned runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings Tuesday against the Orioles.

Outings like this won't do much to buy Karns time in the Rays' rotation to start the season. He struggled to throw strikes (53 of 95 pitches) and gave up a two-run homer to Steve Pearce in the second inning. Karns is slated to start again Sunday in Miami and against the Yankees the following week, but once the rest of the Rays starters get healthy, he will likely find himself either in Triple-A or in a relief role.

Updating a previous report, Karns will start the Rays' second regular season game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It had been previously reported that Karns and Jake Odorizzi would start the second and third game of the year, but the order had apparently been yet to be determined. Manager Kevin Cash seems to have thought it best, matchup wise, to select another right-hander to take the hill following Opening Day starter Chris Archer. Karns should get a few turns in the rotation, but will likely be delegated to long relief or sent down when Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly are ready to resume full workloads. Of course, performance could dictate otherwise. Karns had been having a solid spring up until allowing six earned runs Saturday against the Red Sox.

Karns will start the third game of the regular season for the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Just to make the expected now official, Manager Kevin Cash announced Friday that Karns will begin the season as the Rays' No. 3 starter. The 27-year-old righty has been impressive this spring, posting a 2.03 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and an 8-to-3 K/BB ratio across 13.1 innings. With several injuries effecting the Rays' starting pitching depth, Karns will likely see at least three or four turns in the rotation.

Karns appears to be in position to open the season with a temporary place in the Rays' rotation following the injuries to Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly, and Alex Colome, the Tampa Tribune reports.

While all three of the currently ailing pitchers could return at some point in April, Karns figures to get at least a couple of turns in the rotation once the season begins. He's shown the ability to miss bats in the upper levels of the minor leagues, but at age-27, it remains to be seen if he can cut back on the control issues that fueled his 5.08 ERA and 1.41 WHIP at Triple-A Durham last season.

Karns threw 21 pitches over two scoreless frames in Thursday's spring-training opener versus the Orioles, allowing just one and a walk while recording one strikeout.

Karns is competing mainly with Alex Colome to land the fifth spot in the Rays' rotation this spring. It is safe to say that he certainly gained a quick upper hand in the competition. The 27-year-old righty utilized all three of his pitches in this one (fastball, curveball, changeup) and registered as high as 95 with the heater. Manager Kevin Cash simply said of Karns, "He looked good."

Karns worked into the sixth inning of Sunday's loss to the White Sox, allowing six earned runs on five hits and two walks while collecting five strikeouts.

Obviously unable to follow up on his stellar performance from nine days ago, Karns struggled to keep the ball in the yard in Sunday afternoon's outing. Though the White Sox only managed five hits off of the Rays' right-hander, three of them found the seats. Karns could be an option to start next Sunday's season finale in Cleveland.

Karns logged seven scoreless frames versus the Blue Jays on Friday night, surrendering just two hits and a couple of walks while striking out eight en route to his first major league victory.

Despite an impressive 9.5 K/9, Karns only managed a mediocre 5.08 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 27 starts for Triple-A Durham this season. However, his first outing at the big league level in 2014 provided a different story altogether, as the 26-year-old righty was nothing short of dominant in the typically hitter friendly environment of Toronto's Rogers Centre. Karns is currently filling what was Drew Smyly's spot in the Rays' rotation and figures to remain there through the end of the campaign. He is slated to be back on the bump Wednesday versus the Yankees.