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Walks hurt May again, Twins lose to Royals 6-4

By WTOP Staff

MIKE COOK
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Trevor May was better Monday night, but it wasn’t enough for the Minnesota Twins.

In his second career start — and third overall appearance — May pitched into the fifth inning before control problems resurfaced and the Twins lost 6-4 to the Kansas City Royals.

Erik Kratz homered twice after replacing an ailing Salvador Perez, and Jason Vargas pitched seven strong innings to help the first-place Royals take three of four in the series. They have won 13 of 15 and 21 of 26 to open a two-game lead over idle Detroit in the AL Central.

Oswaldo Arcia and Trevor Plouffe homered for Minnesota.

May (0-2) allowed seven hits and three earned runs in 4 2-3 innings. He walked four and struck out one.

In his first nine major league innings, he’s walked 13 batters and struck out three.

“Going into this outing I really wanted to focus on one pitch at a time. I felt like I did it much better this time than the last couple times. It’s all about taking a step forward, keeping it simple and getting back to the basics,” said May, who was 8-6 with a 2.93 ERA at Triple-A Rochester.

May made his debut on Aug. 9, and it was a rough one. He walked seven in two innings and gave up four runs. In 2 1-3 innings of relief last Tuesday in Houston, he gave up two earned runs and walked a pair.

“He was executing pitches. He kept the Royals’ hitters off balance for the most part. It was the walks that hurt him tonight,” said Twins bench coach Terry Steinbach, who took over after manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the first inning.

After breezing through four innings of his home debut, May walked the bases loaded in the fifth.

Perez followed with a two-run bloop single and Billy Butler added an RBI single to give the Royals a 3-0 lead.

“The difference between a walk or an out sometimes is making one pitch. I wasn’t able to make a couple there and then I paid for it,” May said. “If you get yourself in trouble, the other team’s job is to make you pay for it and they did.”

That was enough for Vargas, who has dominated the Twins this season. He retired 10 in a row from the second through sixth while his offense built him a cushion.

Vargas (10-5) allowed one run on four hits and struck out three, but had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 17 when Arcia hit a solo homer in the seventh.

Trevor Plouffe hit a three-run shot off Aaron Crow in the ninth inning, but Greg Holland came on for his 38th save in 40 tries.

When Perez left, Kratz came in as a pinch hitter and drove a pitch just over the wall in left field for a 4-0 lead. He added a solo shot to center in the ninth for his first multihomer game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Perez is day to day with a sore knee.

Twins: Byron Buxton, one of the top prospects in baseball, flew to Fort Myers, Florida, to begin his recovery after a nasty outfield collision at Double-A New Britain. GM Terry Ryan said Buxton had a stiff neck and some headaches, but nothing more serious. Ryan said he doubts Buxton will play again this season.

“We’re all fortunate it ended up the way it ended up,” Ryan said. “We’ve seen collisions in our day, but that one ranked right up there.”

UP NEXT

The Royals open a two-game interleague series in Colorado. RHP James Shields (11-6, 3.29 ERA) starts the opener against LHP Tyler Matzek (2-8, 5.50).

The Twins stay home for a three-game series against Cleveland. RHP Kyle Gibson (11-9, 3.96) starts the opener against RHP Trevor Bauer (4-7, 4.35).

EARLY EXIT

When plate umpire Chris Segal called Joe Mauer out on strikes in the first inning, the mild-mannered first baseman argued that he fouled the third strike and it hit the dirt before Perez caught it. Segal disagreed, and Gardenhire came to Mauer’s defense before returning to the dugout.

Moments later, Segal ejected Gardenhire after being asked to check the ball. It was the fifth time this season and 72nd time in his career that Gardenhire was ejected.

Steinbach said the play is not reviewable.

“The luxury of having replay — you could see that it did hit the dirt,” Steinbach said. “The umpires don’t have that in this particular situation.”

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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