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Rodney’s blown save ruins Iwakuma’s stellar start

By WTOP Staff

SEATTLE (AP) — Hisashi Iwakuma pitched eight innings of shutout ball.

Fernando Rodney undid it all in less than an inning.

Rodney came on in the ninth with the Seattle Mariners holding a 1-0 lead and promptly gave up a leadoff home run to David DeJesus, then a go-ahead RBI single to Matt Joyce five batters later in the Tampa Bay Rays’ 2-1 victory Tuesday night.

Rodney left with two outs in the ninth to a chorus of boos.

“I understand that part when the fans boo,” Rodney said. “They get mad because they want to win, but that didn’t happen tonight.”

Iwakuma allowed four hits over eight innings, striking out five without a walk.

“I thought I pitched well,” Iwakuma said through a translator. “They bounced me around a couple of times early, but by the third and fourth inning, I was able to get in a groove and take off.”

Iwakuma, making his third start after opening the season on the disabled list with a finger injury, gave up a double to DeJesus in the first, then retired 13 in a row before the Rays picked up a pair of singles in the fifth. Tampa Bay’s only other hit off Iwakuma was Joyce’s single to lead off the eighth, but Iwakuma finished off that inning — and his night — with a called strikeout of Wil Myers with the runner stranded on first.

“He’s been phenomenal,” Seattle’s first-year manager Lloyd McClendon said. “He is better than what I thought. I knew sitting in the other dugout he was good, but he is better than good.”

It was the second straight eight-inning shutout outing for Iwakuma, who has now thrown 24 straight scoreless innings at home dating to last season. He didn’t get the chance to try for his first career complete game, though, as Rodney came on and ended up with his second blown save.

“Kuma was out of gas,” McClendon said. “I’ve got one of the best closers in the game. This guy’s going to save a lot of games for us, it just didn’t go his way tonight.”

Rodney (1-2) had a 2-2 count on DeJesus when the designated hitter sent a fly ball down the right-field line, and all right fielder Stefen Romero could do was watch as the ball cleared the wall with a couple of rows to spare.

With two outs, James Loney golfed a single up the middle and was replaced by pinch-runner Sean Rodriguez. Desmond Jennings’ hard grounder to short hopped past Brad Miller, and then Joyce’s fly to right-center dropped in front of the diving James Jones to score Rodriguez.

Price (4-3) retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to complete the victory for the Rays. He kept the Mariners off balance most of the night, allowing one run and six hits. Eight of his 12 strikeouts came on called third strikes.

The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Jones led off with a double down the left-field line and later scored on Robinson Cano’s groundout to first. Although the Mariners were able to get a few runners on base — four of their six hits were doubles — they were unable to do anything once they were there, going 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

“(Price) beared down when he needed to,” said Seattle first baseman Justin Smoak, who was 0 for 4. “Pretty much any pitch he wanted to throw tonight was pretty sharp to me.”

NOTES: Rodney has allowed a baserunner in 10 of his 13 save opportunities. … Jones has at least one hit in each of his six starts this season. … C Mike Zunino has a six-game hitting streak. … Iwakuma’s eight innings tied his career high, which he has reached nine times. It was the fifth time he’s thrown eight innings without allowing a run.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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