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Price strikes out 10, Rays top creative Astros 4-3

By WTOP Staff

JORDAN GODWIN
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros got some early runs off David Price on Sunday.

But pretty soon the Tampa Bay ace settled in and shut them down in a 4-3 loss.

Two of the Astros’ first four hitters scored, both on solo home runs.

After that, Price (5-6) got rolling, striking out 10 in eight innings.

Price allowed homers to Dexter Fowler and Matt Dominguez in the first inning. He left after the eighth and got his first win since May 13. Fowler and Dominguez both finished with two hits each.

The rest of the Astros, however, went 2 for 25 as the Astros lost their first series in their past eight.

Fowler, who said he was a brief roommate of Price’s prior to their major league careers, praised Price for his precision accuracy.

“That guy’s a competitor,” Fowler said. “The guy’s going to come after you, and you just have to be ready to hit.”

Price gave up a leadoff homer for the first time in his career when Fowler sent his 79 mph curveball into the Crawford Boxes in left field. That ball crashed off an LED video ad board, breaking it for the rest of the game.

The Astros connected again three batters later on Dominguez’s two-out shot to left-center.

Fowler doubled in the third inning and scored on a two-out single by Jesus Guzman to extend the lead to 3-1.

Pinch-hitter Jerry Sands broke three bats while singling home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to help the Rays to the victory.

For the second time in a week, Astros manager Bo Porter moved reliever Tony Sipp to left field, then brought him back to pitch. There was a brief delay as the umpires huddled after Porter’s strategy.

“We felt like at that juncture of the game, it was the best move to give us an opportunity to win the game,” Porter said. “It gave us an opportunity to mount a comeback against a one-run lead rather than a bigger deficit.”

It was the 20th career double-digit strikeout game for Price, setting a Tampa Bay record.

Matt Joyce singled to start the eighth and Jerome Williams (1-3) plunked Yunel Escobar. Sands then broke two bats on foul balls before shredding a third one on his hit to left field.

Jake McGee pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.

Escobar had two hits and two RBIs for the Rays.

James Loney and Ben Zobrist singled to start the second before David DeJesus walked. Brad Peacock walked Escobar with one out, making it 2-1.

DeJesus walked with no outs in the fourth inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Escobar to cut the lead to 3-2.

Williams replaced Darin Downs with one out in the sixth inning and he was greeted with a single by Escobar. Jose Molina singled and Desmond Jennings grounded into a force play that left Molina out at second.

Jennings was initially ruled out, too, for a double play, but manager Joe Maddon challenged the play and it was overturned, giving the Rays a run that made it 3-all.

Soon after Sands’ tiebreaking hit, Porter shuttled Sipp from the mound to the outfield. Maddon came out and talked to the umpires for a minute before play resumed.

Sipp returned to get the first two outs of the ninth.

Evan Longoria doubled with one out in the fifth before Houston rookie George Springer robbed Loney of extra bases when he made a running, over-the-shoulder catch on his fly ball just in front of the bullpen in right-center.

NOTES: Astros 2B Jose Altuve was out of the lineup for his third straight game after being hit on the right hand with a pitch on Thursday night. He pinch-hit in the ninth and grounded out. … The Astros put RHP Josh Fields on the 15-day disabled list with soreness in his right forearm and recalled RHP Paul Clemens from Triple-A Oklahoma City. … Houston agreed to terms on a minor league contract with RHP Jose Veras on Sunday. He will report to the Astros’ spring training complex before going to Oklahoma City. … The fathers of Houston pitchers Dallas Keuchel, Jarred Cosart and Josh Zeid each threw out a ceremonial first pitch to their sons on Sunday to celebrate Father’s Day.

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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