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Royals, Tigers ready for pivotal AL Central series

By WTOP Staff

DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alcides Escobar stood in front of his locker after hitting a home run that helped boost the Royals to a victory over the White Sox, and glanced at a TV screen hanging to his left.

On it, the Twins were putting the finishing touches on a win over the Tigers.

“This is going to be a big series,” Escobar said.

The results Wednesday night allowed Kansas City to claw within a half-game of Detroit in the AL Central, and sets up arguably the biggest series at Kauffman Stadium in decades. The two teams open a pivotal three-game series Friday night with just over a week left in the season.

“That’s a big series, for the whole year,” Escobar said, barely containing a smile. “The team is going really good right now. Detroit, everybody knows, is good. Coming in here, it’s exciting, playing at home. It’s going to be a great series.”

Naturally, the soundtrack echoing through the clubhouse loudspeakers reflected the Royals’ attitude: Archie Eversole’s “We Ready,” playing on repeat.

“If you would have seen it in here about 30 minutes ago, it was exciting,” said Lorenzo Cain, whose three-run homer off White Sox ace Chris Sale paced the Royals on Wednesday night. “We’re definitely ready to go.”

Both teams are off Thursday, which means both bullpens will be rested. But they’ll probably be an afterthought considering the heavy hitters who will be starting the series.

Former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander (13-12) heads to the mound Friday night for Detroit against left-hander Jason Vargas, who has had a resurgent year in Kansas City. Vargas is 11-9 with a 3.41 ERA, though he lost to the Tigers just over a week ago at Comerica Park.

The Tigers’ Max Scherzer is on the mound Saturday against fellow ace James Shields. Rick Porcello starts for Detroit on Sunday against Royals veteran Jeremy Guthrie.

“Nothing needs to be said. There’s not a person in this clubhouse that doesn’t understand the importance of this series,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “This is fun. There should be a lot of energy — a lot more energy in the stands on the Royals side.”

The Royals (83-68) have already clinched back-to-back winning seasons in non-strike-shortened years for the first time since 1988-89. With four more wins, they would eclipse last season’s mark for their best record since going 92-70 during the ’89 season.

The Royals are looking to win the division for the first time since 1985. But the Royals also began Thursday tied with Oakland for the first wild-card spot, and fans were queueing up in a line stretching hundreds of yards from the Kauffman Stadium ticket windows by midmorning in the hopes of purchasing wild-card tickets.

It’s heady stuff for a city that has usually written off the Royals by mid-June, and turned its attention to the Chiefs across the parking lot by mid-September.

The pressure of a pennant race is familiar to the Tigers.

Anchored by their strong starting pitching and big-name stars such as Miguel Cabrera, they’ve captured the division each of the past three seasons. And each of those seasons, they’ve managed to at least reach the ALCS, falling in the World Series to San Francisco two years ago.

“What we’ve got to do is keep playing the game the way we know how to play, control what we can control,” Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter said. “Go out there and prepare yourself and have good at-bats and play good defense and make good pitches. We do that, we’ll be fine.”

Besides, Hunter said, the Royals are still the ones doing the chasing.

“We’re still in first place,” he said. “We’re doing what we have to do.”

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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