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Rays down Astros 6-1

By WTOP Staff

JEREMY RAKES
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s offense has been one of the keys to its recent success.

Alex Cobb and Tampa Bay’s pitching staff didn’t give the Astros much of a chance to get it going on Friday night.

Cobb had 11 of the Rays’ season high-tying 16 strikeouts, helping Tampa Bay to its first road win in almost a month, 6-1 over the Astros.

Houston rookie Jon Singleton continued his hot start, hitting his fourth homer in his 11th career game. He also homered on Thursday night. But the rest of the Astros struggled as the team managed just three other hits and set a season high for strikeouts.

“This baseball season is way too long to think you’re not going to run into nights like this,” Houston manager Bo Porter said. “The best thing you can do is put it behind you and move on to the next day and tip your cap to the guy who threw one great game tonight and show up tomorrow ready to play.”

The Astros were playing without starting second baseman Jose Altuve, who was hit by a pitch on the right hand Thursday night and is listed as day to day.

“Any time you don’t have Jose in your lineup, it’s going to hurt you from the standpoint of he’s arguably our best player and leads Major League Baseball in hits for a reason,” Porter said. “His presence will be missed any time he’s not in the lineup.”

Collin McHugh (4-4) allowed five hits and four runs in five innings for the loss. The right-hander said his command wasn’t very good.

“I think anyone watching the game could see that,” McHugh said. “My fastball wasn’t very good, so I had to throw a lot more breaking balls and changeups. That’s not me as a pitcher. It’s not what I do best.”

Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce and Evan Longoria drove in two runs apiece to break a 10-game road skid dating to May 16. It’s just the third win in the last 17 games overall for the Rays, who have the worst record in the majors at 26-42.

Cobb (2-4) rebounded from his worst start of the year to allow three hits and one run with a season best in strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings. He gave up 10 hits and seven runs in a season-low 4 1-3 innings in his last outing.

Singleton said Cobb was keeping the ball down in the zone and keeping the Astros guessing.

“He had a plus-plus changeup tonight,” Porter said. “As much as our guys wanted to make him get the ball up, we continued to expand our zone, which helped him and he continued to take advantage of our aggression.”

Joyce put the Rays up with his two-run double in the second and Zobrist, who finished with three hits, extended the lead to 4-1 with a triple that drove in two in the fifth inning. Longoria padded the lead with his bases-loaded two RBI single in the ninth.

James Loney reached on an error by shortstop Jonathan Villar to start the second inning before a double by Zobrist. Joyce’s double made it 2-0.

Houston’s Chris Carter singled with two outs in the second inning for his first hit that wasn’t a homer since June 3. He had hit five straight homers in that span. Robbie Grossman walked after that but Cobb struck out Marwin Gonzalez to end the threat.

Singleton sent Cobb’s first pitch of the fourth inning opposite field into the Crawford Boxes in left field to cut the lead to 2-1.

Cobb walked Matt Dominguez with one out in that inning before he got rolling, retiring the next eight, including striking out the side in the sixth inning. He also struck out the first three batters of the game.

The Astros didn’t get another hit until Dominguez singled to start the seventh. Carter followed by knocking a ball about 425 feet to straightaway center field, but Jennings raced up the hill to grab it.

Brad Boxberger replaced Cobb and struck out two batters in 2-3 innings and Joel Peralta fanned the side in the eighth.

Jennings doubled with no outs in the fifth before James Loney drew a two-out walk. Zobrist made it 4-1 with his triple to center field.

NOTES: Houston recalled RHP Josh Zeid from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned LHP Rudy Owens to the minor league team before the game. … The series continues on Saturday when Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer opposes Jarred Cosart.

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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