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Royals drop road series with 4-1 loss to Indians

By WTOP Staff

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Kansas City Royals’ recent road dominance has grounded to a halt.

Danny Duffy allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings, and the Royals were shut down by Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber in a 4-1 loss Sunday.

Kansas City dropped the last two games of the series after winning Friday night. It was the first time the Royals lost a road series since dropping two of three games to the Los Angeles Angels from May 23-25. Kansas City is 11-4 on the road since June 2.

Mike Moustakas’ fifth-inning homer accounted for Kansas City’s only run.

Royals manager Ned Yost thought Duffy gave his team a chance to win.

“This was a good outing for Danny,” Yost said. “He kept us in the game. He gave us an opportunity. We were within striking distance. A four-run outing by your starter is not insurmountable.”

Duffy (5-8) had been on a hot stretch entering the game, ranking third among AL starters with a 1.69 ERA over six June outings. The left-hander pitched particularly well on the road, going 3-1 with a 1.05 ERA in four games.

Duffy allowed one home run in June, but gave up two on Sunday, both in the second inning. Carlos Santana, batting right-handed, hit a solo shot into the right-field bullpen to put the Indians up 1-0. Ryan Raburn singled, and Yan Gomes hit his 10th home run on a 1-0 pitch to dead center.

“I can deal with a couple flares and a couple ground balls going for hits,” Duffy said. “I’m not happy with myself about the second inning. I left a lot of pitches up, and that was my Achilles’ heel.”

Duffy struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.

Michael Brantley added an RBI single in the fifth.

The Royals managed only four hits against Kluber (8-6), who struck out 10 in 8 1-3 innings. Jarrod Dyson had an infield single in the third, and Lorenzo Cain had an infield hit in the sixth.

“Everything he was throwing was nasty,” Moustakas said.

“He’s got a really, really good curveball,” Yost said. “He’s got a tremendous fastball that he can get up to 96 (mph) that he can locate very, very well and very consistently. He throws his curveball front door, back door, and has a nice slider that he keeps down in the zone.”

Moustakas also made a couple of impressive plays at third, including a diving stop on a hard-hit ball by Santana in the third to start a double play.

“He was flashing the leather,” Duffy said. “He always does. Moose is a savage at third base.”

In eight games this season against the Indians, Moustakas is batting .345 (10 for 29) with five homers and 11 RBIs. He is a career .308 hitter at Progressive Field.

“There’s no answer for that,” Moustakas said. “Just one of those weird things in baseball that just seem to kind of happen.”

Cody Allen recorded the final two outs for his ninth save.

Indians manager Terry Francona was booed by the home fans when he pulled Kluber two outs short of a complete game. Eric Hosmer started the inning with a double before Salvador Perez struck out.

“I don’t blame them,” Francona said. “If I was managing with my heart, I’d have left him in there, too.”

Left-hander Scott Downs, signed by the Royals before Sunday’s game, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh. Right-hander Casey Coleman was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to make room for the 38-year-old left-hander.

Bruce Chen walked one in a scoreless eighth.

Cleveland has won four of five to move within two games of second-place Kansas City in the AL Central. The Royals trail first-place Detroit by 4 1-2 games.

NOTES: OF Alex Gordon and DH Billy Butler were both out of the lineup Sunday. Gordon is mired in a 3 for 40 slump, and Butler has just three hits in his last 26 at-bats. … OF Nori Aoki (strained left groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas this week. … The Royals continue their nine-game road trip Monday at Tampa Bay with RHP James Shields (8-4) facing his former team. … Kansas City took two of three in Minnesota to begin the trip.

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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