Mariners notebook: Nathan Karns looking to back up smack talk to former teammates

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It’s a bit of a homecoming for a number of Mariners at Tropicana Field. Tim Bogar was a coach for Tampa Bay in 2008, Mike Montgomery and Shawn O’Malley spent time in the minors with the Rays, and Nathan Karns and Joaquin Benoit played here. For Karns, the memories are of a solid start to his big-league career.

“It was my rookie year, so it was a little special for me,” Karns said. “It was a lot of learning, growing, developing into a Major League pitcher. Really kind of coming into my own here and establishing who I am and what I can do.”

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Karns credited staff and teammates, including Matt Moore and Chris Archer, for helping with his development at the big-league level, and while he got the social aspect of facing a familiar foe out of the way when the Rays were in Seattle, he will actually get to pitch against his former teammates on Wednesday.

“I get to sit there and kind of compete with guys that I kind of joked around with – ‘What if we faced?’ Now we finally get those answers to see whose smack talk is going to get backed up,” he said with a laugh. “It’s good. It’s going to be fun.”

Notes

• Boston’s starter for Friday’s game is no longer “TBD.” The Mariners will see a familiar face as Roenis Elias will be called up to make the start. Add another lefty to the list.

• Robinson Cano is on the doorstep of an impressive American League record. His next home run will be his 247th as a second baseman, which will be the most by a player at that position in league history. Cano currently shares the record with Yankees and Indians legend Joe Gordon.

• Cano hitting the record-breaking home run against the Rays would be fitting as he and Adam Lind have each hit 24 against Tampa Bay, which ties them for fifth-most among active players.

• The latest All-Star balloting has Cano jumping Omar Infante for second place at second base behind Jose Altuve. Balloting runs through June 30 at 8:59 p.m. on MLB.com. Nelson Cruz, who is fourth in the voting at DH, is the only other Mariner on the leaderboards.