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Indians waste start by House, lose to White Sox

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — The Cleveland Indians got an encouraging start from rookie T.J. House. It still wasn’t enough to avoid the sweep.

Moises Sierra drove in the winning run with a single in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Indians 3-2 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.

Hector Noesi and House each delivered dominant starts. The Indians’ Jason Giambi hit his 440th homer, but the Tribe dropped their fourth straight.

They’ll have time to regroup with no game Thursday after playing 16 straight days.

“Yeah, it’ll be good for us,” manager Terry Francona said. “Everybody’s dragging a little bit, and we need to go home and take the day off, use it to our advantage and then come out and get after it.”

House did his part in his second major league start. He gave up just one run and five hits in 6 1-3 innings and struck out eight while walking one.

“Everything was working pretty much,” he said. “I was able to throw all my pitches in the zone, expand when I needed to.”

House left with a 1-0 lead after giving up back-to-back singles to Adam Dunn and Alexei Ramirez, who was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double, but didn’t get enough support to pick up his first win. The Indians managed just five runs in this series.

Cleveland had just scored a run in the top of the ninth off Ronald Belisario (3-3) to tie it at 2-2 when the White Sox answered in the bottom half against Bryan Shaw (1-1).

Third baseman Mike Aviles bounced the throw to first on Tyler Flowers’ leadoff grounder. Pinch-runner Leury Garcia stole second and moved up on a fly by Marcus Semien before Sierra lined a 3-2 pitch to right for the winning single, teammates mobbing him around first base.

“I’ve done that in the minor leagues before,” Sierra said. “But never in the major leagues and I’m very happy and very thankful for that.”

It all happened after a botched throw on a routine play.

“Routine ground ball, play that’s gotta be made, and I didn’t make it,” Aviles said.

The White Sox took a 2-1 lead in the eighth when Dunn drove in Gordon Beckham with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly against Cody Allen, but Belisario couldn’t hold it in the ninth.

Michael Brantley drove a leadoff single off the pitcher’s right hip, and the problems just mounted from there.

The Indians caught a break when Adam Dunn overthrew second after fielding Jason Kipnis’ grounder to first. With two out, Belisario intentionally walked Jason Giambi before Brantley scored on Yan Gomes’ single, barely sliding in ahead of a strike from Sierra in right to tie it at 2-all.

The blown save was the third in six chances for Belisario.

The Indians took a 1-0 lead on Giambi’s solo homer off Noesi in the second. But Chicago tied it in the seventh when Dunn singled leading off against House and scored on a two-out base hit by Semien against Scott Atchison.

Noesi, meanwhile, dominated over 7 1-3 innings but still is seeking his first win in more than two years.

He gave up one run and five hits while striking out five without a walk. But the winless streak continued.

The right-hander is 0-4 in six starts and 12 appearances this season with Seattle, Texas and Chicago and 0-14 in his last 40 games. His most recent win? That was when he beat Minnesota while with Seattle on May 6, 2012.

“He’s really transitioned well from going as the long guy in the bullpen to being a starter,” manager Robin Ventura said. “I think he’s gotten a better feel for some different pitches just because now he’s going through the lineup a couple times and he’s able to get a feel for it instead of being in there for an inning or an inning and a half.”

NOTES: Francona said RHP Zach McAllister (lower back strain) will throw Friday on the field at Progressive Field, possibly in a simulated-game setting. McAllister was placed on the 15-day disabled list last Thursday and threw a 50-pitch bullpen session Monday. . Francona said INF Nick Swisher (left knee) was examined and “structurally, he’s pretty good” and had injections in both knees. “I think that the initial view is that it won’t be an extended DL,” Francona said. … With Kipnis activated from the 15-day disabled list, INF Justin Sellers was optioned to Triple-A Columbus. … The White Sox have not decided if slugger Jose Abreu (left ankle tendinitis) will need rehab at-bats, although he is on course to return from the disabled list when he’s eligible. Ventura doesn’t expect Abreu to be limited when he returns.

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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