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Rangers not worried about 9-game deficit to A’s

By WTOP Staff

RICK EYMER
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Texas manager Ron Washington is convinced the Rangers will play better even though they are now two games under .500.

Washington watched the Rangers lose 4-2 to Oakland on Wednesday to fall nine games behind the AL West leading Athletics.

“I’m not concerned about being nine out, not right now,” Washington said. “Losing two out of three here, there’s still a lot of baseball left to be played. We just have to get consistent.”

Brandon Moss hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the fifth inning against Nick Tepesch (2-3), who is winless in his last four starts. That was just after the Rangers pulled even in the top of the inning.

“We have to get more than five innings out of our starting pitching and we have to have a shutdown inning after we score runs,” Washington said. “You can’t go out there and all of a sudden people are all over the bases and we can’t get a shutdown inning.”

Tepesch allowed four runs and nine hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out one. Tepesch was replaced after throwing 99 pitches. In contrast, Sonny Gray (7-3) threw 100 pitches and worked seven innings.

“They had a lot of deep counts and saw a lot of pitches,” Tepesch said. “That’s to their advantage. They are a patient club and have a plan at the plate. I’m just trying to stick to the game plan. If I make good pitches, we can turn them into outs.”

Shin-Soo Choo, who had two hits to end an 0 for 14 stretch, singled home a pair of runs with two outs in the fifth to tie the game before Moss came back to give the A’s the lead.

“That’s how I had been pitching him,” Tepesch said of Moss. “I might have gotten too much of the plate or the pitch was not quite as good as I threw earlier. Any time your team scores runs, it’s a pitcher’s job to out and have a quick inning and put up a zero. I didn’t do that.”

Washington thought the Rangers should have been out of the third inning without giving up a run. Craig Gentry led off with an infield single that gave Elvis Andrus some trouble.

“I know I’m fielding a ball from a fast guy and I have to get rid of it as soon as possible,” Andrus said. “It kind of fumbled in my hand. We just have to turn the page and keep playing hard.”

John Jaso followed with an RBI double and, two outs later, Josh Donaldson singled home another run.

“I thought (Tepesch) pitched well,” Washington said. “That ground ball by Gentry was an out. They gave him a hit but that was an out. We should have been out of the third with no runs.”

Scott Baker pitched three scoreless innings to keep the Rangers close but Gray and two relievers were able to keep Texas off the scoreboard.

“Scott gave us a chance to get back in it, which we couldn’t do,” Washington said.

The victory gave the Athletics (44-28) the best record in the majors.

“It was a tough series,” Rangers outfielder Alex Rios said. “We just couldn’t do much besides the first day. What are we going to do? We have to keep playing. We’re not looking at the standings. We’re just playing ball.”

Gray, who gave up two runs and six hits, improved to 8-2 in 13 career starts against teams from within the A’s division.

NOTES: The Rangers are 3-3 on their current nine-game road trip, which ends in Anaheim over the weekend. . Rangers LHP Joe Saunders (0-2), will pitch the series opener against the Angels on Friday, has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four starts since coming off the DL. . Texas INF Luis Sardinas extended his career best hitting streak to seven games.

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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