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Last-place Red Sox hope for turnaround

By WTOP Staff

HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) — From worst to first to worst again.

For three seasons, the Boston Red Sox have been riding a surprising seesaw that has them in last place in the AL East.

But, unlikely as it seems, they can still be competitive in a mediocre division.

“No one has given up anything,” manager John Farrell said Thursday. “No one has conceded anything.”

The Red Sox finished last in the division in 2012, losing 50 of their 76 games after the All-Star break in Bobby Valentine’s only year as their manager. Just as unexpected was their shocking World Series championship last year.

In spring training, players vowed to focus on this season and “turn the page” from that success.

Instead, they’ve nearly ripped the whole book apart.

The Red Sox have scored the fewest runs in the AL. Only one team in the league has fewer homers.

Their longest losing streak last year was three games. This year they’ve already had skids of 10, five and four.

Their record after 95 games last season was 58-37. This season it’s 43-52, a drop of 15 wins.

And they trail the first-place Baltimore Orioles by 9 1-2 games.

But hope remains.

“We’ve got a lot of baseball to play,” right-hander Clay Buchholz said. “Especially in this division, it doesn’t really matter what your record is at the end of the year, just as long as you’re at the top of the board.”

Boston opens a three-game series at home against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

“There’s additional significance to the games when you play the teams ahead of you,” Farrell said. “After we get through Kansas City, I believe we have the next (13 games) or four consecutive series against teams that are ahead of us. So 67 games remaining, each one has increasing significance.”

The Red Sox success at signing veteran free agents last season was stunning — Koji Uehara, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes, Stephen Drew. Their failures this offseason — A.J. Pierzynski, Chris Capuano, Grady Sizemore — all are gone.

Injuries have limited Victorino to 21 games. Drew is batting .151 in 28 games since returning after no team signed him as a restricted free agent.

Losing center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to the New York Yankees was made costlier by the inability of his slick-fielding replacement, Jackie Bradley Jr., to hit.

But the Red Sox won four of their last five games before the break even if it was against mediocre competition, the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.

Left-hander Jon Lester is having his best season as the staff ace with a 9-7 record and 2.65 ERA, John Lackey is a solid No. 2 starter and Buchholz retired the last 17 batters in a complete game shutout over the Astros in which the Red Sox scored a season-high 11 runs on Sunday.

Uehara saved 18 of Boston’s 43 wins, has a 1.65 ERA and made the All-Star team.

“We’ve got some good pitching performances lately,” Lester said. “Our bullpen has been solid all year.”

Now the Red Sox must hope that young players whose roles have increased can develop quickly enough for them to pass four teams in the division. If not, they may unload veterans such as Gomes and right-hander Jake Peavy to contending teams.

Top prospect Xander Bogaerts began the season as the starting shortstop and was hitting .304 two days after moving to third base to make room for Drew. Since then, he’s hit .116 (14 for 121).

“Hopefully, we turn this around and turn the whole season around,” he said.

Mookie Betts began the season as a second baseman at Double-A Portland but moved up to Boston as an outfielder. Catcher Christian Vazquez was promoted from Triple-A Pawtucket after Pierzynski was designated for assignment on July 9 and has five hits in 11 at-bats.

Rubby De La Rosa has been an effective starter since first being called up on May 31.

Their best youngster, though, is Brock Holt. In 61 games, the leadoff hitter is batting .327 and has a better on-base percentage than David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia while playing six positions.

Ortiz has 20 homers, but is batting just .255 after three consecutive seasons of .309 or better.

Peavy is 1-8 but has been hurt by the poor offense. He lasted into the eighth inning in a 3-2 loss at Houston on Saturday.

“He did a great job,” catcher David Ross said. “We just didn’t score enough runs for him.”

Or for any of the other pitchers this season.

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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