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Milone struggles as Twins lose 12-6 to Royals

By WTOP Staff

AL SCHOCH
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tommy Milone’s second start with Minnesota fell apart in a hurry.

After retiring the side in order on nine pitches to open the game, Milone came out for the second in a steady rain. He faced nine batters and was charged with seven runs in Kansas City’s 12-6 win at Target Field.

“Seems like every time I got a new ball, it was immediately soaked,” said Milone, who lasted a career-low 1 1-3 innings. “I didn’t have any issues with the mound, it was just tough to keep my hand and the ball dry.”

The start of the game was delayed for a half-hour because of impending bad weather, but the rain didn’t come until after the Twins grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. There was a 54-minute rain delay in the fourth.

“The field was a mess, the mound was a mess, we tried to play through,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “They got it done, we didn’t.”

Milone (6-4) was acquired in last month’s trade that sent Sam Fuld to Oakland. In two appearances with the Twins, Milone has given up nine runs and 12 hits in 7 1-3 innings.

Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez and Josh Willingham homered for the Royals, who have won 20 of 25.

Kansas City sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven times in the rain-soaked second, keyed by two-run singles for Alcides Escobar and Nori Aoki. The Royals also increased their AL Central lead to 1 1/2 games over Detroit, which lost 8-1 to Seattle.

“With the weather and everything, we were pretty good,” Perez said. “We fought through it.”

This is the latest the Royals have been in first place since 2003.

Kansas City’s Jeremy Guthrie (9-10) lasted seven innings, yielding home runs to Joe Mauer and Kennys Vargas.

Oswaldo Arcia also went deep for Minnesota, hitting a two-run drive off Jason Frasor in the eighth for his 11th homer.

After managing just one run in Saturday night’s 4-1 loss, the Royals scored 10 or more for just the third time since June 17.

TRAINER’S ROOM

ROYALS: Setup man Wade Davis and closer Greg Holland were available on Sunday, a day after manager Ned Yost gave each reliever some rest.

UP NEXT

ROYALS: Coming off his sixth career shutout vs. Oakland, Jason Vargas (9-5) starts the finale of the four-game series on Monday. Vargas has a 0.86 ERA in three starts against Minnesota this year and hasn’t allowed a run in the last two.

TWINS: Trevor May (0-1) will try and bounce back after walking seven batters over two innings during his first major league start on Aug. 9. “He’s been like a raging bull out there,” Gardenhire said. “We gotta calm him down right now.”

GOING ALL OUT

Twins RF Oswaldo Arcia isn’t letting his batting woes affect his fielding. With Kansas City leading 9-4 in the sixth, Arcia sprinted far to his left and made a diving catch of a line drive by Omar Infante. Arcia slid to a stop on the wet grass just shy of the warning track and took a few seconds before getting up and heading for the dugout.

“Fantastic,” Gardenhire said. “Full stride, and going towards the corner like that, ball slicing away. That was a hell of a catch.”

The remaining fans gave Arcia a standing ovation. Arcia later hit a 414-foot home run in the eighth inning.

DROP OFF

Twins SS Danny Santana gave his team an electrifying start to the game, shooting a pitch to the wall in left-center and steaming into third base with a stand-up triple. He scored on a single by Vargas, and from there it all went downhill for the Minnesota rookie.

The next three times he came to bat against Guthrie, Santana struck out swinging. He grounded out in the ninth to end the game.

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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