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Texas tumbles into 2nd half of injury-plagued year

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers had become accustomed to coming out of the All-Star break looking for moves to bolster a playoff chase.

There are much different expectations and plans this season with an injury-plagued roster and the worst record in the majors.

“We are just looking to see better baseball, see guys grow,” general manager Jon Daniels said when asked what he wants to see now.

After winning at least 90 games each of the past four seasons — a stretch when they went to the World Series twice, made the playoffs a third time and lost a one-game wildcard tiebreaker last year — the Rangers are now on pace for 90 losses or more. If they go 34-33 the rest of the way, they will finish with 90 losses.

The Rangers (38-57) carry an eight-game losing streak into Friday night’s game at Toronto. They have lost 22 of their last 25 since being 35-35 in mid-June, falling 21 games behind AL West-leading Oakland.

“It’s been tough,” said Ron Washington, the Rangers’ winningest manager in his eighth season. “There’s times out there we just weren’t good enough. There’s times out there we did it to ourselves. … I’m certainly not through, and I don’t think they’re through.”

Texas still has a majors-high 15 players on the disabled list and has made 21 DL moves this season for a total of 1,119 games missed by those players. The Rangers have used 50 players, the most-ever in the majors before the All-Star break, a number that includes 29 pitchers and 15 rookies.

Daniels made a move Wednesday, trading veteran reliever Jason Frasor to Kansas City for Triple-A All-Star pitcher Spencer Patton. That is a clear sign that the Rangers are looking to the future and getting back into a contending role in 2015.

There are still several other veteran players who could be targeted by contending teams — outfielder Alex Rios, closer Joakim Soria and reliever Neal Cotts among them. While Daniels is open to making “good baseball trades,” he intends to keep together the team’s core, including AL batting leader Adrian Beltre(.337), shortstop Elvis Andrus and All-Star pitcher Yu Darvish. Injured slugger Prince Fielder (neck surgery) and left fielder Shin-Soo Choo (sprained left ankle) are both under contract through 2020.

“Basically the same thing we’ve said, we should be better next year with guys coming back from injury. That being said, as we’ve seen this year, there are just no guarantees,” Daniels said. “We’re not looking to tear the team down by any stretch. We look forward to building these guys up.”

With the offseason additions of Fielder and Choo and their expected starting rotation, the Rangers rightfully had expectations to be a playoff contender again. But the injuries started hitting long before the first pitch of the regular season.

Darvish was scratched from the opening day start because of neck stiffness. Left-hander Derek Holland needed left knee surgery after being tripped by his dog on stairs in his home in January. Lefty Matt Harrison had a setback from back issues that sidelined him most of last year, started the season on the DL and returned to make four starts before needing potentially career-threatening spinal fusion surgery.

Two expected everyday starters — second baseman Jurickson Profar and catcher Geovany Soto — suffered injuries late in spring training.

Soto is expected to make his season debut Friday night when he will be activated from the disabled list after knee surgery. Holland is expected to make his first rehab start next week for Triple-A Round Rock and could finally return to the Rangers rotation in a few weeks.

“We know we can play a lot better baseball. It’s all on us,” Andrus said. “We’re the ones that have to go out and change the way we’re playing right now.”

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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