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Smyly dominates early, but Tigers fall 2-1 to LAAs

By WTOP Staff

GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — When Drew Smyly struck out six straight Angels early on, even the Detroit Tigers were dazzled by their left-hander’s dominance.

That excellence didn’t last into the sixth, and Los Angeles put together just enough offense to beat a pitcher who had looked unbeatable for five innings.

Efren Navarro and Kole Calhoun drove in runs in the sixth, and the Angels overcame Smyly’s 11-strikeout effort for a 2-1 victory Friday night.

Miguel Cabrera homered and Smyly (6-9) had his career-high in strikeouts for the Tigers, who have lost seven of eight in Anaheim.

After Detroit’s pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts in Thursday’s series opener, Smyly struck out eight of the Angels’ first 10 hitters. The left-hander overwhelmed Los Angeles until the sixth, retiring his first 13 batters and striking out nine different Angels.

“I felt great pretty much the whole game,” Smyly said after his second straight strong start out of the All-Star break. “I was executing all of my pitches pretty good, and they were the sharpest they’ve been in a while, so I felt really confident. … They have a really good lineup, so I knew I had to stay focused every inning because there wasn’t much room for error. For me, it’s a good start to build off of.”

Everything changed abruptly in the sixth with consecutive, one-out doubles by Chris Iannetta and Calhoun, followed by Navarro’s go-ahead RBI after the Tigers intentionally walked Albert Pujols to get to Los Angeles’ reserve outfielder.

Navarro had two hits after replacing Josh Hamilton in the fourth inning as the Angels earned their majors-leading 36th home victory by beating the majors’ best road team.

Yet even Navarro wondered whether the Angels could break through against Smyly.

“He was making his pitches, working on the outer part of the plate,” said Navarro, who drove in Calhoun for the go-ahead run and chased Smyly with a two-out single. “But on that last pitch, he made his pitch, and I was able to do something with it.”

Tyler Skaggs yielded five hits in 5 2-3 resourceful innings for the Angels, who have won 14 of 19. Los Angeles improved the majors’ second-best record to 61-41 and pulled within two games of the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics, who lost at Texas.

Los Angeles’ bullpen backed up Skaggs with 3 1-3 innings of one-hit relief, retiring nine straight along the way.

Mike Morin (3-3) struck out Torii Hunter with the bases loaded to end the sixth inning.

Huston Street pitched the ninth for his second save in three appearances for the Angels, wrapping up an all-around encouraging effort for manager Mike Scioscia’s club.

“Ten out of the first nine hitters struck out, something like that,” Scioscia said with a grin. “He had great stuff. For us to match him pitch for pitch, that was something.”

Skaggs struggled much more than Smyly, needing 43 pitches to get through the first two innings alone, but still struck out five.

“His fastball is his best pitch, and his curveball is really good, too,” Hunter said. “That was my first time facing him — I think everybody’s first time facing him — and he did a great job.”

Cabrera connected for his 16th homer leading off the fourth inning, putting his second shot in three days into the stands in right field. Los Angeles didn’t get a ball out of the infield until Mike Trout’s one-out fly ball to right in the fourth.

The Tigers chased Skaggs with consecutive, two-out singles in the sixth. Detroit then loaded the bases when David Freese botched Martinez’s soft grounder to third, but Morin fanned Hunter to end it.

Hamilton left the game with soreness in his left knee and was replaced by Navarro in left field. The former AL MVP grounded out weakly in his only at-bat, and he failed to make a play on J.D. Martinez’s long fly to left in the second, allowing it to bounce for a double.

NOTES: Angels LHP C.J. Wilson threw a bullpen session in his recovery from his sprained right ankle. … Kevin Jepsen struck out the Detroit side in the seventh for the hard-throwing right-hander’s 14th consecutive scoreless relief appearance. … Detroit’s Justin Verlander faces Matt Shoemaker on Saturday night at the Big A. … Trout was 0 for 4, going hitless for just the eighth time in his last 56 games.

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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