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Chisox’s 2 errors costly in 5-2 loss to Dodgers

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have committed the second-most errors in the American League, and Monday night was another dreadful performance by the defense — ruining a solid outing by Jose Quintana in his duel with Clayton Kershaw.

Second baseman Gordon Beckham committed the first of his two fielding miscues during a five-run sixth inning by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A two-out throwing error by Conor Gillaspie made all them unearned, and the White Sox left Chavez Ravine red-faced with a 5-3 loss.

“It just wasn’t a good day of defense,” manager Robin Ventura said. “Q pitched a great game, going inning-for-inning with Kershaw, and he deserved a better fate. There’s no two ways about it. But when you don’t play defense, and give a team like that opportunities, you leave that little crack in the door. And they kicked it wide open.”

Kershaw led off the fateful sixth with a single and Matt Kemp reached on one-out grounder that went under Beckham’s glove for an error with the infield overshifted to the left side.

Yasiel Puig struck out on a high fastball and slammed his bat in frustration, but the Dodgers got a break when Gillaspie fielded Hanley Ramirez’s grounder behind third and bounced his throw past first base as Kershaw scored.

“They gave us a few extra outs and we took advantage of it,” Kershaw said. “It’s always fun to get hits, and it’s always fun when you’re part of the run scoring. We needed this — to put something together there in the sixth. Sometimes with us, it takes a couple times to get through the lineup. I knew if I just kind of kept us in the game, gave us a chance, we were going to break out.”

Adrian Gonzalez drove in Kemp with an infield hit, and Quintana gave up a two-run single to Justin Turner and an RBI single to Drew Butera after a walk to Scott Van Slyke.

“That’s how you win games. You take advantage of one little mistake, and a lot of times it ends up rolling into a big inning,” Van Slyke said. “Good teams do that. When they get the opportunity, they take advantage.”

Quintana (3-5) gave up six hits through six innings and was charged with all five unearned runs, while his ERA dropped from 3.61 to 3.31.

“When you look at him on video, his ball looks straight. Then you get in the box and it kind of zips,” Van Slyke said. “His changeup goes down and his slider’s decent, so I can see why he gets guys out.”

All 25 runs Quintana allowed in his previous 10 starts were earned, following a no-decision in his season debut in which three of the five runs against the left-hander were unearned.

“I pitched really good, but sometimes I don’t have control of situation,” Quintana said. “I just kept focusing on the next batter. I lost a good chance I had to win this game, but that’s baseball. Maybe next time the guys will make good plays for me.”

Kershaw (4-2) shrugged off a two-run homer by Jose Abreu in the rookie’s return from the disabled list, allowing just three other hits over eight innings, while striking out nine and walking none.

The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner needed only 12 pitches to get through the first two innings and retired his first 10 batters before Beckham singled and Abreu followed with his 16th homer. The Cuban slugger was leading the majors in homers and ranked second in RBIs with 42 before missing 14 games with tendinitis in his left ankle. The White Sox were 8-6 in his absence.

“It was nice, coming against a guy like Kershaw,” Ventura said. “It didn’t seem like he missed too much of a beat. When we have that guy swinging the bat good, we’re a better offense.”

The only other baserunner the White Sox had against Kershaw through the first six innings was Moises Sierra, who hit a dribbler to the right of the mound and beat Kershaw’s throw to first base with two outs in the fifth.

NOTES: Abreu set major league rookie records for homers (10), RBIs (32), extra-base hits (19) and total bases (71) in April and was named AL rookie of the month. … Beckham’s second error was in the seventh, when he booted a routine grounder by Puig. … Ventura gave 1B-DH Adam Dunn the night off even though he is 8 for 13 against Kershaw with four home runs. … Quintana has not allowed a home run in 43 1-3 innings over his last seven starts, after giving up one in each of his previous four outings.

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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