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Five-run 1st sinks Quintana and White Sox

By WTOP Staff

CHICAGO (AP) — A rough first inning was enough to sink Jose Quintana and the Chicago White Sox.

The Kansas City Royals staked starter Jeremy Guthrie to a five-run lead before he took the mound and the Royals beat the White Sox 7-2 on Friday night.

The first four batters — Nori Aoki, Omar Infante, Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler — all singled to make it 2-0 and fifth-place hitter Alex Gordon followed with a double to right field to make it 3-0.

After Quintana (3-7) struck out Salvador Perez for the first out of the game, Lorenzo Cain stroked a double to left to drive in two more and made it 5-0.

“(Quintana) just stubbed his foot in that first inning,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “From there, we had some opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize on them. We worked some counts, got (Guthrie) in some tough situations, he just worked out of it.”

Quintana recovered enough to last six innings, allowing six runs and eight hits, but the Chicago offense couldn’t capitalize when given chances to score.

The White Sox got a run back in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Jose Abreu. The Royals got it back in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by Hosmer.

Chicago loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the inning as Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo singled and Alejandro De Aza walked, but the White Sox pushed across just one run — on a walk to Adam Eaton — to make it 6-2.

Guthrie struck out Tyler Flowers with no outs and then struck out Gordon Beckham with one out following the walk to Eaton. Conor Gillaspie then flied out to center to end the inning.

“He was erratic,” Ventura said of Guthrie. “I mean, you don’t see him walk that many people, especially with a lead like that. He gave us an opportunity to get back in it and then he seemed to find his groove.”

Guthrie (3-6) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings to snap an 11-game winless streak. Guthrie’s last win was on April 9, against Tampa Bay.

Royals manager Ned Yost was pleased his team could back up their starting pitcher when he didn’t have his best stuff, something they hadn’t done much of this season.

“Just get him some runs is what we wanted to do and this is probably the worst start that he had during this whole streak,” Yost said. “He’s been really efficient, really commanding his pitches. The first three innings he made big pitches when he needed to limit the damage, which was huge.”

Guthrie helped lead the Royals to their fifth straight win overall and eighth in their last nine games at U.S. Cellular Field, a stretch in which they’ve outscored the White Sox 38-16.

Despite the loss, the White Sox remain optimistic about where they sit in a bunched up AL Central, where no team is more than 3 1-2 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers.

“It’s good baseball,” Eaton said. “It shows the depth of the division and we are excited to be in the mix and we continue to work hard and hopefully we can say that in September.”

NOTES: The White Sox have signed RHP Henry Rodriguez to a minor league contract. Rodriguez, released by Miami earlier this season, has been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte and will begin on the DL. … The last time LHP Chris Sale had a high pitch count he landed on the DL for a month, but Ventura had no problems with the Chicago ace throwing 116 on Thursday. “He felt great going there and he didn’t have that inning where he really had to fight through it and battle,” Ventura said. … LHP Danny Duffy (3-5) takes on RHP Hector Noesi (2-4) in the second game of the series Saturday.

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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