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Could favorable schedule help Royals?

By WTOP Staff

NOAH TRISTER
AP Baseball Writer

Just about everything is going right for the Kansas City Royals these days. They’ve won 24 of their last 31 games to take over first place in the AL Central.

Even the schedule seems to be breaking their way. The Royals played their last nine games against teams currently in last place — and they’ll play 10 of their final 33 against last-place Minnesota, Texas and Boston.

Manager Ned Yost, however, is taking nothing for granted.

“These are the games that ‘according to the standings’ and this and that, these are games you’re supposed to come in and win — and that’s not always the case,” Yost said. “You don’t understand the difficulty of coming in and playing a major league game. It’s hard to win a major league game.”

The team chasing the Royals in the division can certainly vouch for that. Second-place Detroit had to fight back over the weekend just to salvage a four-game split against the Twins. Minnesota scored 32 runs in the first two games of that series.

According to STATS, the Royals have the easiest schedule in the American League the rest of the way, playing opponents with an aggregate winning percentage of .479. But how significant is that? The Tigers will face teams with a winning percentage of .496, so they’ll have a chance to go on a run themselves if they play well enough.

In baseball, there are no gimmes on the schedule — and that’s even more true this year, when there’s a decent chance nobody will lose 100 games. Texas, which has baseball’s worst record, is on pace for 99 defeats. The Twins may be in last place, but they’re on pace for 72 wins and just gave Detroit’s pitching fits.

And on the flip side, baseball hasn’t had a 100-win team since 2011, and nobody is on pace for it this year either. The parity in the game right now is one reason nobody’s schedule will be that easy or that hard down the stretch.

For what it’s worth, the toughest remaining schedule belongs to Texas — the Rangers can’t play against themselves, after all. Their opponents have a .537 winning percentage.

The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (.467) have the easiest road ahead, but the second-easiest schedule belongs to San Francisco, which trails the Dodgers by 4 1/2 games in the division.

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

HOLDING ON?: The Milwaukee Brewers are clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead in the NL Central, but they catch a bit of a break this week because second-place St. Louis will play a three-game series at third-place Pittsburgh. The Brewers will have a chance to gain ground on one or both of those teams.

TATTERED TIGERS: Detroit’s starting rotation looked imperious when the Tigers traded for David Price, but injuries to Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander left the team in a surprisingly precarious position. Youngsters Robbie Ray and Buck Farmer failed to make it out of the second inning in their starts against the Twins. Verlander is back now, and there’s an off day on the schedule Monday, but a doubleheader next weekend against the Chicago White Sox means the Tigers will still have to piece things together.

LAST STAND?: Can the New York Yankees reach the postseason in Derek Jeter’s final season? It looked like a longshot, but New York has won four straight to pull within six games of first-place Baltimore in the AL East, and the Yankees are only 3 1/2 games behind Seattle for the second wild card. This week — with a game at Kansas City followed by three at Detroit and three at Toronto — should be telling.

WILD WEST: The Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics have the top two records in baseball, and there’s plenty of incentive to win the AL West and avoid the one-game playoff between the league’s wild cards. Los Angeles leads by a game after a victory over the A’s on Sunday night, and the Angels will host a four-game series between the teams that starts Thursday.

CITY OR STATE?: The Washington Nationals have won 12 of 13 to open an eight-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East. The Nationals will play an interesting interleague series at Seattle starting Friday, but it looks as though Washington will avoid facing Felix Hernandez.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel now has a 1.46 ERA for his career, easily the lowest in baseball history for a pitcher with at least 275 innings.

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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