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Trout has 2 HRs, Weaver wins 17th for Angels

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels can almost taste it now.

Jered Weaver earned his AL-leading 17th win, Mike Trout homered twice, and the AL West leaders reduced their magic number for clinching the division title to four with a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday night.

Any combination of Angels victories and Seattle Mariners losses totaling four will give Los Angeles its sixth division title under manager Mike Scioscia and first since 2009, when the team won its third in a row.

The Angels extended their winning streak to 10 games — one off the franchise record set in 1964 — improving to a major league-best 93-55. They had scored at least seven runs in each of their previous eight contests, tying a club record set in 1979.

“The offense is clicking and the pitching staff’s been unbelievable,” Trout said. “We give them a comfortable lead and they go out there and pitch. That’s probably the best I’ve seen Weave in a while. I see him working hard every day, trying to get that velocity back, and it came back today for sure.”

This was Weaver’s 32nd start this season — and only the third in which Trout homered. The All-Star center fielder, who has a career-high 34 home runs, also did it on opening night at home against Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, and on Aug. 24 at Oakland against reliever Jesse Chavez.

“We’ve kind of given him a hard time about that. It seems like he always hit home runs when I’m not pitching,” Weaver said with a grin. “But regardless of the home runs, he’s done more than enough in the games that I’ve pitched. That’s for sure.

“It’s no surprise what he’s done so far,” he added. “I mean, we’ve seen what he’s done the last few years at such a young age. He’s our guy. Obviously, there’s some great guys around him as well, but he’s taken the league by storm and he’s maintaining it. So nothing he does surprises me anymore.”

Weaver (17-8) allowed a run and four hits through seven innings with a season-high 12 strikeouts, his 13th career double-digit game. The three-time All-Star is 10-2 with a 3.35 ERA over his last 17 starts.

“Year after year, we’ve seen Weave come out and be the lead dog,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “Tonight his stuff was exceptional. I don’t know if I’ve seen Weave throw like this for about five years. He had great life on his fastball. That was one of the best games he’s pitched in a long time.”

Huston Street pitched for the first time since Sept. 6, working a scoreless ninth for his 14th save after missing five games with a hamstring problem.

Scott Feldman (8-11) allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings for Houston. Jose Altuve had two hits including an RBI double, and is six hits away from Craig Biggio’s 1998 franchise record of 210.

Trout hit an opposite-field drive to right-center in the first inning, then homered over the trees in center leading off the third for his third career multihomer game.

“He’s a great player and got me a couple times there,” Feldman said. “It turned out to be enough with the way Weaver was throwing. He seemed was on his game pretty well the whole night, and I obviously gave those up two home runs. So that was the game right there.”

COULD HAPPEN

Weaver and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw — who is in a four-way tie for the most wins in the NL — have a chance to pull off a rare feat. Only six times since 1929 have two pitchers from the same market led their respective leagues in victories during the same season. The last time it happened was 1985, when the Yankees’ Ron Guidry won 22 games and the Mets’ Dwight Gooden won 24.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: OF George Springer (left quadriceps strain) became the sixth player on the team to miss at least 50 games because of a single injury. Reliever Josh Zeid will reach that figure four games from now. He is out for the rest of the season because of operations on both feet.

Angels: LF Josh Hamilton missed his ninth consecutive game because of a sore right shoulder. No. 5 hitter Howie Kendrick has started in the cleanup spot for Hamilton during this entire stretch, going 20 for 40 with two homers and 13 RBIs.

UP NEXT

Astros: Dallas Keuchel (10-9, 3.06 ERA) is 5-16 with a 4.93 ERA in 32 career starts after the All-Star break, compared to 14-11 with a 3.67 ERA in 33 starts before the break. He leads the AL with five complete games this season, one fewer than major league leader Clayton Kershaw, and he has the best ground ball-to-flyball ratio in the majors (3.51).

Angels: Hector Santiago (5-7, 3.38 ERA) is 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA in his last 14 appearances, including 12 starts. Two of those victories came in relief.

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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