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Teixeira homers as Yankees beat Blue Jays 5-3

By WTOP Staff

IAN HARRISON
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Mark Teixeira made sure the New York Yankees had something to declare at customs on their way home from Canada: a victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Teixeira hit a two-run home run, Hiroki Kuroda won for the first time in four starts and the Yankees beat Toronto 5-3 on Wednesday night, snapping their losing streak at four games.

“That was a big win,” Teixeira said. “We needed this one to stop the bleeding a little bit.”

With his team in the midst of 15 straight games against AL East opponents, Yankees manager Joe Girardi agreed that leaving Toronto with at least one win was meaningful.

“It’s not what you want but it sure beats the alternative,” Girardi said. “We’ve played six against Toronto and three against Baltimore and now we’re going to go play Boston and Tampa. I though tonight it was really important that we needed to play a good game before the off day.”

New York is 6-3 against the Blue Jays this season and 10-10 against the rest of the East.

Kuroda (5-5) won for the first time since May 28, at St. Louis, allowing three runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

“He got us into the seventh inning with a lead and I thought he threw the ball pretty good,” Girardi said.

David Robertson got the final five outs for his 18th save in 20 chances.

“We hit a little bit of a rough pitch,” Robertson said. “We needed to pick up a win. Beating the Jays is pretty tough and we were fortunate to sneak one out here.”

Things didn’t start well for the Yankees as Jose Reyes homered into the second deck on Kuroda’s first pitch, his third leadoff blast this season and the 21st of his career. Melky Cabrera followed with a single, but Kuroda struck out Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion, then got Dioner Navarro to foul out.

The Yankees took the lead with a four-run third off Blue Jays right-hander Drew Hutchison. Kelly Johnson drew a leadoff walk and scored on Francisco Cervelli’s double. Two-outs later, Jacoby Ellsbury hit an RBI single and scored on Teixeira’s homer.

“The whole dugout was pretty excited about the four runs because it had been a while since we’d had a lead,” Teixeira said.

Hutchison (5-6) lost for the third time in four starts, allowing four runs and seven hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.

“I was disappointed in that big inning, especially allowing three runs with two outs and not being able to make that big pitch,” Hutchison said.

Hutchison is 0-3 with a 9.22 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this season.

The Blue Jays cut the deficit to one in the fifth on a two-out, two-run single by Cabrera, but Lind flied out to end the inning.

New York used two walks and a hit batter to load the bases with no outs against reliever Rob Rasmussen in the seventh but only managed to score one run. Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly off Sergio Santos and Carlos Beltran struck out before Ichiro Suzuki walked to load the bases again. Santos escaped by getting Brian Roberts to fly out.

Kuroda left after Anthony Gose grounded into a fielder’s choice in the seventh. Shawn Kelley gave up a single to Reyes and got Cabrera to fly out. Matt Thornton came on, Gose and Reyes advanced on a double steal, but Lind ended the inning with a broken-bat grounder to the mound.

NOTES: Toronto has gone 5-13 since a 5-0 start to June. … The Blue Jays selected OF Brad Glenn from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned OF Kevin Pillar to Triple-A. Pillar threw his bat down the dugout steps after he was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning Tuesday. … Encarnacion started at DH after being hit in the back of the head in a collision with Teixeira at first base Tuesday. … Derek Jeter celebrates his 40th birthday Thursday. … The Yankees are off Thursday before beginning a three-game series against Boston on Friday. New York’s Vidal Nuno (1-4) faces Red Sox RHP Brandon Workman (1-0) in the opener. … The Blue Jays begin a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Toronto LHP J.A. Happ (6-4) faces Chicago RHP Scott Carroll (2-3).

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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