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Relief roles a matter of routine

By WTOP Staff

NOAH TRISTER
AP Baseball Writer

When Detroit reliever Willie Hernandez won the MVP in 1984, he pitched in 80 games. Only 33 of those appearances were save opportunities.

The current trend in bullpen management — in which the best relievers are used primarily in the ninth inning to close out victories — didn’t start until later. Now many teams take specialization a step further, assigning the closer to the ninth inning and another setup man to the eighth.

Is this the best way to run a bullpen?

“Bullpens are definitely creatures of habit,” Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. “They like their roles, they kind of know when they’ve got to get out there, they know what time they’ve got to be there, they know when to get loose and what their roles might be.”

Over the course of a 162-game season, there’s something to be said for establishing a sense of routine — and limiting certain relievers to certain situations can help control workloads. Hernandez threw 140 1-3 innings in 1984, a total that would seem excessive for the top relievers today.

But does it make sense to save your best reliever to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning, while potentially not using him at all in a tie game?

Every now and then, a team experiments with the idea of mixing and matching relievers instead of adhering to rigid roles — but the idea never seems to last. This year, the Chicago White Sox have dealt with injuries in their bullpen, and manager Robin Ventura has juggled whatever healthy relievers he has.

Five different pitchers have earned saves for Chicago, and nobody has more than eight. The White Sox have converted 62 percent of their save chances — not a good showing, but not much worse than last year, when closer Addison Reed had all 40 of the team’s saves.

“In the situation we’re in right now, we’ve got a lot of young guys and it just works better to have it that nobody really has a defined role,” Ventura said. “It’s been mix-and-match.”

The approach has its benefits and its drawbacks.

“Guys are out there and they’re not quite sure watching the game if they’re going to be in or if they’re not going to be in,” Ventura said. “In some instances, that’s a good thing, but in some instances you would like guys to be able to sit out there and watch the game and realize what’s happening so they can gear up when, two innings down the road, they’re the guy who’s going to be going in. So there are advantages to that.”

Here are five things to watch around the majors this week:

DEADLINE DEALS: David Price and Ben Zobrist are still with the Tampa Bay Rays, who are now within 4 1/2 games of a postseason spot as Thursday’s trade deadline looms. The plot thickens .

MARQUEE MATCHUPS: Take your pick. Seattle ace Felix Hernandez takes the mound against Cleveland’s Corey Kluber on Wednesday night, and Julio Teheran of Atlanta faces Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.

HONORABLE MENTION: Cliff Lee of Philadelphia — if he’s still on the Phillies at that point — is scheduled to face Gio Gonzalez of Washington on Thursday night.

TORONTO’S TIME?: The Blue Jays have won seven of nine and trail first-place Baltimore by three games in the AL East. Toronto now plays three games against last-place Boston, followed by four against a struggling Houston team.

SHOWDOWN: Milwaukee enters the week with a two-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central. The teams open the month of August with a three-game series in St. Louis that starts Friday night.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Yasiel Puig of Los Angeles hit three triples against San Francisco on Friday night, the most by a Dodgers player since Brooklyn’s Jimmy Sheckard had three in 1901. Sheckard finished that season with 19 — more triples than anyone else had homers.

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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