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Choice and Odor HRs lead Rangers over Astros 13-6

By WTOP Staff

KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros didn’t have much to say about their lopsided loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday night other than that they’d like to forget about it as soon as possible.

Michael Choice and Rougned Odor both hit three-run homers and the Rangers cruised to a 13-6 win over the Astros.

“We just have to look at this night just like we didn’t pitch too well; we just didn’t have it early and they jumped out to a pretty big lead,” manager Bo Porter said. “All you can do is put it behind you and come back tomorrow.”

Houston starter Brett Oberholtzer (4-10) allowed nine hits and a career-high seven runs in 4 1-3 innings, in his second-shortest start of the year.

“Everything was falling, and I just wasn’t hitting my spots,” Oberholtzer said. “And they were putting a pretty good swing on the ball; they were being very aggressive and they put some pretty good swings on it.”

The Rangers were up by two in the fourth inning when Choice launched his ninth home run into the Crawford Boxes in left field to push the lead to 6-1. Odor connected in a five-run seventh inning with a shot to the seats in right field to make it 13-1.

Adam Rosales and Elvis Andrus added two RBIs each for the Rangers, who have the worst record in the American League and have won just five of 14 meetings with the Astros this season.

Ryan Rua made his major league debut and became the 59th player the injury-decimated Rangers have used this season, tying the major league record set by the Padres in 2002 and 2008 and Indians in 2002. He got his first hit with a single in the seventh inning.

Scott Baker (3-3) allowed six hits and two runs in 6 1-3 innings for his second straight win.

Jason Castro hit a solo homer in the seventh inning after hitting a grand slam in Houston’s 4-2 win in the series opener on Thursday night. Jose Altuve had two hits for the Astros to give him a major league-leading 184.

Houston center fielder Dexter Fowler was shaken up in a collision with right fielder Jake Marisnick in the first inning, but remained in the game. Porter said he took an elbow to the bridge of his nose, but that he should be OK.

Marisnick made a nifty play for the first two outs of that inning when he caught a fly ball from Alex Rios in right field and threw to third base to pick off Andrus.

Rios had a double in his return to the lineup after missing two games with a swollen right thumb.

Fowler tied it at 1-all with an RBI single in the first inning, but was out at second trying to stretch it into a double. Houston added three runs in the ninth when Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-RBI double and a third run scored on an error on the play.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: LHP Derek Holland, who has been on the disabled list all season after left knee surgery, will come off the disabled list and start on Tuesday at Kansas City. … OF Shin-Soo Choo had arthroscopic surgery on Friday to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. He is expected to be able to return to baseball activities for workouts by Nov. 1.

Astros: OF Robbie Grossman was out of the lineup after turning his left ankle on Wednesday night. Grossman said he was feeling better on Friday and they’re waiting for the swelling in his ankle to subside before he returns. … Reliever Darin Downs (strained muscle on his right side) struck out three in a scoreless inning in the first game of a rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi.

UP NEXT

Miles Mikolas was scratched after the game from his scheduled start on Saturday with right shoulder fatigue. The Rangers will recall Robbie Ross from Triple-A Round Rock to start in his place against Scott Feldman.

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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