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Blue Jays lose to Angels despite Francisco’s HR

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays are struggling so badly, even when they get a huge break, they can’t capitalize on it.

Their first six batters went down in order against Jered Weaver, who had to leave after 24 pitches because of stiffness in his lower back. But the Jays got only two harmless singles over the final four innings against five relievers and lost their fifth straight, 5-2 to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

“We thought we finally caught a break when Weaver left, but they shut us down,” manager John Gibbons said. “Weaver’s different than he used to be and has a different style, but he’s still one of the toughest guys around, so you feel good when he comes out of the game.”

Juan Francisco hit his 14th home run for the Blue Jays, who slipped three games behind AL East-leading Baltimore. J.A. Happ (7-5) was charged with five runs, seven hits and three walks in 4 1-3 innings.

“We’ve seen him do that before,” Gibbons said. “That’s where he gets into trouble, when he loses the strike zone. Every now and then he’ll go through those stretches where it deserts him. He’s still got to throw it over the plate and take his chances and let them hit a ball at somebody.”

The Angels grabbed a 5-2 lead in the fifth. Chris Iannetta, who scored their first run in the third on Mike Trout’s groundout, started the four-run rally with a leadoff double that a fan touched near the top of the 18-foot wall in right-center field. Manager Mike Scioscia asked second base umpire Jim Wolf for a video review, hoping for a home run call he didn’t get.

Happ walked his next two batters before Albert Pujols hit a bloop single to right-center that tied the score. It was his second bases-loaded hit in two days, after starting the season 0 for 13 in those situations.

Josh Hamilton followed with a sacrifice fly, Howie Kendrick chased Happ with an RBI single through the box, and Erick Aybar greeted Chad Jenkins with an RBI double on the right-hander’s first pitch.

“We know he likes to throw fastballs, so we wanted to make him throw strikes,” Hamilton said. “He’s got really good stuff, so you’ve got to make him throw strikes. And if he doesn’t then he gets into a bad count and have to throw a strike. Then you can do some damage with it.”

The winning pitcher was Matt Shoemaker (7-2), who made 61 pitches in his emergency stint while allowing two runs and five hits through 3 2-3 innings. The rookie right-hander had thrown 102 pitches last Thursday in a win over Houston.

“It was unbelievable. You talk about trying to earn respect points, and Shoemaker definitely did that — going on three days’ rest,” Weaver said. “That goes a long way. I mean, for him to step up and do what he did after not thinking he was going to pitch tonight was pretty spectacular. That was an awesome job by him, mentally, and you saw the way the rest of the bullpen came in and shut the door against a pretty good lineup.”

The Angels’ recently acquired veteran duo of Joe Thatcher and Jason Grilli helped piece it together with Kevin Jepsen and Joe Smith, who got three outs for his 11th save.

The Angels extended their home winning streak to 11 games, one shy of the franchise record set in 1967 — their second season in Anaheim. They are 16 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 2012 season at 89-73, and remain 3 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Oakland.

NOTES: Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista made his second straight start at 1B because of Edwin Encarnacion’s strained right quadriceps, which landed the second-time All-Star on the 15-day disabled list Monday. Nolan Reimold was added to the major league roster and made his Blue Jays debut starting in CF and going 0 for 3 a day after he was claimed off waivers from Baltimore.

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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