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McHugh in fine form, but Astros lose to Angels

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — On most nights, Collin McHugh would have put himself in the win column with this kind of performance. On Wednesday, he had the misfortune of going up against Jered Weaver.

The Houston Astros’ right-hander nearly matched Weaver pitch for pitch through seven innings, holding the Los Angeles Angels to just two runs and four hits while striking out seven. One of the hits, though, was a tiebreaking home run by Albert Pujols in the sixth, and the Astros dropped a 2-1 decision that prevented them from winning their third straight series.

“You know coming into it that Weaver’s arguably one of if not the best pitchers in this league,” McHugh said. “So you know that you’re not going to be able to give up a lot and that it’s going to be a dogfight.”

McHugh (2-3) lost his third straight decision over four starts. The Angels only other run came on Erick Aybar’s RBI single in the third.

Pujols who homered twice on Sunday against Tampa Bay ace David Price, drove a 2-1 pitch into the top tier of the double-decker bullpen in left field for his 13th homer this season and 505th of his career to surpass Eddie Murray for 25th place on the career list. On hand to see it was Air Force staff sergeant Tom Sherrill of Pomona, California, who came up with Pujols’ 500th home run ball on April 22 at Nationals Park in Washington.

“What I did two or three weeks ago, I put that in the past. I’ve flipped the page,” Pujols said. “My goal is to try to concentrate on what’s in front of me and help this organization win. I don’t get caught up too much in numbers. You can’t get caught up on what you’ve done. You need to make sure you stay focused.”

Weaver (5-3) threw 94 pitches while going the distance for the 12th time in 241 career starts and first time since Aug. 6, 2012, when he beat the Athletics 4-0 with a four-hitter at Oakland. The three-time All-Star is 5-1 with a 1.70 ERA over his last seven starts.

“It just looked like he had us out in front all night,” Astros manager Bo Porter said. “He had his curveball going early and just kept us out in front and was inducing weak contact. His pitch count never got up too high and he was never in any really serious trouble. He was attacking early in the count with his fastball, then going to his secondary stuff and keeping us off-balance.”

Weaver struck out five, walked one and retired 17 of his last 19 batters — including 10 straight after giving up a leadoff homer to George Springer in the fourth.

“Those guys roughed me up a little bit at their place, so I wanted to come in here and have a good game and keep us in it as much as possible,” Weaver said. “Their guy was throwing a good game, too. So it was nice to come out on top.”

Weaver hit Springer with a pitch with one out in the ninth, then picked him off after getting a sign from manager Mike Scioscia in the dugout. He got the final out by retiring Dexter Fowler on a popup to third base.

“In that situation, I’m not really worried about baserunners. But Scioscia called a great pickoff there,” Weaver said. “Usually when I look over, I can see a little bit of the runner. But when I looked over before that pick, I couldn’t see him. So I figured he was off the bag pretty good. I just made a good quick move, and that definitely took a lot of pressure off.”

NOTES: The jockey and trainer for Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome — Victor Espinoza and Art Sherman — each threw out a ceremonial first pitch. … Pujols has 43 home runs against the Astros, tying Aramis Ramirez for the most among active players. … Collin Cowgill started in CF for the third time this season and robbed Houston’s Jose Altuve of a hit with a diving catch of his shallow flyball leading off the game. Altuve was 0 for 4, ending his career-best 12-game hitting streak. Springer robbed Hank Conger of extra bases with a diving catch near the warning track in right center to end the second inning.

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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