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Blue Jays lose to Yanks 3-2 on Lind’s error

By WTOP Staff

RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — On the morning of June 7, the Toronto Blue Jays were 38-24 and led the AL East by six games. Since then they’ve sputtered to a 39-51 record and have little chance to end their two-decade-plus postseason drought.

The faded Blue Jays tied their longest losing streak of the season at five games Thursday night, losing to the New York Yankees 3-2 when first baseman Adam Lind allowed Chase Headley’s two-hop grounder in the ninth inning to bounce under his glove and through his legs for a game-ending error.

“It happened so fast. Basically, I didn’t make the play,” Lind said. “I thought I was focused on the ball. He hit it pretty hard, almost right at me.”

New York (78-74) moved ahead of Toronto (77-75) for sole possession of second place in the AL East, and the Blue Jays are six games back in the wild card race with 10 games left. Toronto hasn’t made the playoffs since winning consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and ’93. The hope of spring has long since evaporated.

“It’s disappointing for everybody. There’s no way around that,” said R.A. Dickey, who stretched his scoreless streak against the Yankees to 19 innings before allowing Stephen Drew’s RBI double in the fifth and Derek Jeter’s home run in the sixth. “We’ve been a streaky team all year, both bad and good, and right now we’re in the middle of a bad streak.”

Toronto tied the score in the eighth when Jose Reyes singled with two outs and Jose Bautista homered off Shawn Kelley on an 0-2 pitch, slamming his bat as he neared first base. Bautista homered in his fourth straight game against the Yankees and has hit seven of his 33 homers this year against New York.

“Any time you come back late and tie it up, you’ve got a good feeling,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said, “but we’ve been having trouble scoring runs.”

The Blue Jays went on to lose for the 18th time in their last 20 games at Yankee Stadium. Not the season Gibbons was hoping for in the second season of his second stint as Toronto manager.

“It’s frustrating, but in this game the best teams go and the ones that aren’t good enough, they don’t go. It’s that simple,” Gibbons said.

After David Robertson (3-6) pitched a perfect ninth, Chris Young singled off Aaron Sanchez (2-2) leading off the bottom half. Speedy pinch-runner Antoan Richardson stole second, Brett Gardner sacrificed him to third on a 3-2 pitch and, with the infield in, Headley hit the bouncer to Lind.

“Defense matters in this game,” Gibbons said. “Then they put a guy on there that could fly. It’s a tough way to lose a game. No doubt. They’re all tough.”

LONG OUTINGS

Toronto starting pitchers have gone six innings or more in a team-record 24 consecutive games, five more than the previous mark in 1998.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: C Dioner Navarro pinch-hit and stayed in after missing Wednesday’s game because of dizziness. He was hit on the mask by a foul tip Tuesday.

UP NEXT

LHP Mark Buehrle (12-9) starts the second game of the series Friday against Yankees RHP Hiroki Kuroda (10-9).

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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