O's game blog: It's Chen against Karns in Game 2

In their search for a series victory and 2-0 start, the Orioles send left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (16-6, 3.54 ERA in 2014) to the mound tonight at Tropicana Field. Right-hander Nathan Karns (1-1, 4.50 ERA) starts for the Rays.

Chen has pitched well in his career against Tampa Bay and has pitched well at The Trop. He is 3-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 13 career starts versus the Rays and is 1-2 with a 2.79 ERA at Tropicana Field.

In 14 career starts in March and April, Chen is 7-3 with a 3.06 ERA.

Last year, Chen set career-highs in wins, ERA, WHIP (1.22) and walks per nine innings (1.7). His walk rate ranked fifth in the American League.

In fact, Chen's 35 walks in 185 2/3 innings were the fewest for an Oriole with at least 175 innings in a single season in club history. He has lowered his walk rate each year, going from 2.7 per nine innings in 2012 to 2.6 and then 1.7.

Chen had a strong finish last year. He went 7-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 13 starts after the All-Star break and 2-2 with a 2.05 ERA in five September starts, allowing just one homer in 30 2/3 innings that month.

Karns was drafted by the Nationals out of Texas Tech in the 12th round in 2009. He was traded to Tampa Bay by the Nats on Feb. 13, 2014.

He spent most of last year in Triple-A for Tampa Bay and was 9-9 with an ERA of 5.08 in 27 starts for Durham. In two starts with the Rays, he went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 12 innings.

Karns' major league debut came against the Orioles on May 28, 2013, when he got the start at Nats Park. He did not get a decision. Over 4 1/3 innings, he gave up five hits and three runs, including homers to Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy.

Karns was rated as the Nats' No. 5 prospect at the end of the 2012 season and No. 9 at the end of 2013 by Baseball America. Now he is ranked as the Rays' No. 7 prospect entering this year, and was rated to have the best curveball in the Tampa Bay farm system.

In his minor league career, Karns averaged 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.8 walks.

Kevin Cash is in his first year as Rays manager. He is 37 years, 121 days old, making him the youngest manager in Rays history and the youngest major league manager since 2009, when A.J. Hinch piloted the Diamondbacks at the age of 34. He is the youngest to manage in the AL since 35-year-old Eric Wedge with Cleveland in 2003.

The Orioles won on opening day for the fifth straight season. The only longer such win streaks in club history are six straight from 2001-06 and seven straight from 1970-76. They are 40-22 all-time on opening day.