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Rays beat Red Sox 3-0 for 9th straight win

By WTOP Staff

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The resurgent Tampa Bay Rays are on their best run in a decade.

Ben Zobrist homered, Matt Joyce and Kevin Kiermaier each had an RBI single, and the Rays beat the skidding Boston Red Sox 3-0 Saturday night for their ninth consecutive victory.

The stretch is the second-longest in team history, three short of a 12-game winning streak in June 2004.

“It’s really impressive,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s a total team concept going on right now.”

John Lackey (11-7) came up short in his first attempt at his 150th win, giving up three runs and eight hits over seven innings.

Before the game, the Red Sox traded right-hander Jake Peavy and cash to San Francisco for minor league pitchers Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree. Boston, last in the AL East one season after winning the World Series, has lost five straight.

“I have to say it’s been a disappointing week. A little surprising even,” general manager Ben Cherington said. “Anything we do between now and Thursday afternoon will be with a mind toward building as quickly as possible towards April of 2015.”

The non-waiver trade deadline is Thursday.

Zobrist made it 3-0 with his seventh-inning shot. Grant Balfour (1-3) went 1 2-3 innings for the win, and Jake McGee pitched the ninth for his 11th save.

The Rays (51-53) have used a 27-11 stretch since June 11 to go from also-rans to wild-card contenders.

“It was really nice to get a win, but at the end of the day it’s a team win,” Balfour said. “Right now that’s what we’re after. We went through a lot in the first two months, and we’re trying to erase all those losses and turn them into wins.”

Jeremy Hellickson, coming back from right elbow surgery and making his second start this season, gave up five hits over 4 2-3 innings. Jeff Beliveau replaced Hellickson with a runner on and retired David Ortiz on a hard liner to first.

Desmond Jennings had a bunt single in the first inning and advanced to third on catcher Christian Vazquez’s errant throw. Boston manager John Farrell argued with plate umpire Chad Fairchild about Jennings’ route to first, but the call stood.

“We were told there was no deflection,” Farrell said. “The ruling was he didn’t interfere with the play.”

Jennings scored on Joyce’s single.

Kiermaier’s run-scoring single in the fourth came right after Yunel Escobar was almost picked off second base, a close play Farrell decided not to challenge.

“A challenge would have been nice there,” Lackey said. “He looked like he was pretty out. They still might not overturn it, but you never know. We’ve had it go both ways this year, but what are you going to do?”

Ortiz was given a double in the first after a fan caught his drive near the yellow home run line at the top of the right-field fence. The call stood after a boundary area video review. Ortiz was left stranded when Mike Napoli struck out.

Brock Holt was thrown out trying to score from second to complete an inning-ending double play in the third after Ortiz was retired on a grounder into shallow right field.

The Red Sox also failed to score after putting runners on first and third with none out in the sixth. Balfour got the final two outs of the inning.

“Consistency, that’s been elusive,” Farrell said. “The ability to string some base hits together has been elusive.”

Boston went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base in getting shut out for the 11th time this season.

NOTES: RHP Allen Webster will come up from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Peavy as Sunday’s starter. The Rays’ starter is RHP Chris Archer. … Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta (illness) threw a scoreless inning for Class-A Charlotte and could return Monday.

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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