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Machado injured as Orioles lose to Indians 8-7

By WTOP Staff

DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles thought they were done worrying about Manny Machado after he finally returned from offseason knee surgery on May 1.

Now they’ve got another reason to be concerned.

Machado left Thursday night’s 8-7, 13-inning loss to the Cleveland Indians with right groin stiffness, and manager Buck Showalter can only hope he got the All-Star third baseman out of the game before the injury had a chance to become serious.

Pulled after the 11th inning, Machado said afterward, “It didn’t really bother me hitting or fielding. It was more of a stiffness every time I started running, or that first step. And it just kept getting worse.”

Showalter noticed that Machado appeared uncomfortable, asked him about it and promptly removed him from the game.

“I thought it would be good to exercise a little caution there and see where we are (Friday),” Showalter said. “Sometimes, especially with young players, you just want to take it out of their hands.”

Machado held out hope that he could return before the weekend.

“See how it feels (Friday) and hopefully get back in the lineup,” he said.

After two hits and a walk loaded the bases in the 13th, Carlos Santana came to the plate against Troy Patton (0-1) with a .148 batting average. He pulled a sharp grounder inside the third-base line for a two-run double, only his third hit in 32 at-bats with two outs and runners on.

Josh Outman (4-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Scott Atchison got three outs for his first save, despite giving up a solo home run to Nick Markakis.

Ryan Flaherty also homered for Baltimore and Adam Jones had three hits.

Baltimore used a five-run sixth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit, and after the Indians pulled even in the seventh the Orioles scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half without benefit of a hit.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera fumbled Machado’s sharp grounder and Jones followed with a bouncer to third. Santana threw wildly to second base trying to start a double play, leaving runners on second and third with one out. After Mark Lowe issued an intentional walk to Chris Davis, Nelson Cruz hit a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5.

Lonnie Chisenhall answered in the eighth with a pinch-hit homer off Darren O’Day to make it 6-all. It was Chisenhall’s second home run of the season, both in the past two games.

Much earlier, Indians starter Justin Masterson induced three double plays over the first five innings while being pressed into action on three days’ rest.

In the Baltimore sixth, after Steve Clevenger and J.J. Hardy delivered two-out RBI singles, Flaherty hit a 2-1 pitch over the 25-foot scoreboard in right field to make it 5-3.

The advantage vanished in the seventh. With one out, Flaherty fumbled a potential double play grounder to second base, getting an out at first that resulted in an RBI for David Murphy. Mike Aviles then chased Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen with a game-tying single.

Baltimore regained the lead in the bottom half, but it would not last in this back-and-forth duel.

Cleveland has won four straight, matching a season high, in part because of its ability to persevere. After beating Detroit in 10 innings on Monday, the Indians went 13 against the Tigers on Wednesday before again prevailing in the lucky 13th against Baltimore.

“(Wednesday) was thrilling but you put it in the rear view mirror as fast as you can,” manager Terry Francona said.

“Tonight was in a lot of ways similar. We had to really dig deep. We made some mistakes but we outplayed them. As a result, we have a tired group — but you feel a heck of a lot better when you win.”

According to Stats LLC, the only other time since 1912 that Cleveland won successive games of at least 13 innings was in April 1935.

NOTES: Baltimore has 12 or more hits in four straight games for the first time since April 2007. … The Indians placed starter Zach McAllister (lower back strain) on the 15-day DL and recalled rookie T.J. House from Triple-A Columbus. House will make his first major league start Friday night against the Orioles, who will send Bud Norris to the mound. … Baltimore placed RHP Tommy Hunter (groin strain) on the 15-day DL and recalled RHP Preston Guilmet. … Chris Davis will likely be out Sunday and Monday on paternity leave while doctors induce labor on the first baseman’s wife, Showalter said. … Jones has reached safely in 16 straight games. … Baltimore’s Zach Britton blanked Cleveland in the ninth and 10th innings, his 10th consecutive scoreless outing.

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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