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Young Rangers make impression in winning September

By WTOP Staff

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Baseball Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tim Bogar is winning his September call-up, right alongside the rookies who are making big impressions on the Texas Rangers in the final month.

Bogar is planning to shed the interim tag from his manager title and stay on with this club as it builds back into a regular contender, and Texas is making him look extremely capable of taking charge.

One rookie earned the win and five others produced key hits in a 7-2 victory Thursday that gave the Rangers a three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics and a season-best sixth straight win.

The Rangers won again only hours after former manager Ron Washington publicly apologized in Texas, to wife of 42 years, Gerry, for breaking her trust. It was his first public comment since resigning Sept. 5.

Texas is 7-5 under Bogar, who knows general manager Jon Daniels has a tough decision on his hands.

“I just assume I will manage next year. If they want to put somebody else here, fine,” he said. “I’m just going about my business every day. It’s not hurting me to win games but I don’t think that’s the main thing on J.D.’s mind.”

The latest loss to the team with the worst record in the majors dropped the A’s a half-game behind idle Kansas City for the first wild-spot slot. Oakland owned the best record in the big leagues as recently as Aug. 15.

Texas roughed up Sonny Gray (13-9) for four runs in the first inning.

“Today was just ugly, it was bad,” Gray said.

Gray saw his winless stretch reach five starts. The right-hander in his first full major league season has only one victory in 10 starts since his 5-0 July that earned him AL pitcher of the month honors.

“These are good teams we’re beating but I think we can beat anyone if we continue to play the way we are capable,” Texas first baseman and former A’s infielder Adam Rosales said. “I think they’re pressing right now, trying to do too much. It’s got to be tough on them.”

Nick Martinez (4-11) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2-3 innings and four relievers finished to hand Oakland its sixth loss in eight games. The Rangers swept the A’s in Oakland for the second time in 2014 and have won back-to-back series for only the third time this year.

Leonys Martin hit an RBI double and the Rangers came out swinging for 15 total hits.

“Obviously you always want to play well and now we want to finish the season on a good note,” designated hitter Adrian Beltre said. “It’s just nice, as a team, to go out, have fun, and finish strong.”

Texas got four straight two-out singles in the first, including RBI hits from Jake Smolinski, Tomas Telis and Ryan Rua. A passed ball added another for Texas. Smolinski had a career-high four hits, and the Rangers’ rookies were 9 for 22.

This series was a far cry from the end of the 2012 season, when the A’s stunned the Rangers by sweeping the final three games at the Coliseum to win the AL West.

“The teams we’re playing are still competing for the playoffs, and when you face a team from your own division, you want to beat them,” Beltre said. “It’s nice to do to them what they did to us.”

Sam Fuld’s RBI triple in the third accounted for Oakland’s runs. The A’s were outscored 19-6 in an embarrassing sweep and have struggled to support their starting pitchers during this long funk.

Even with the division decided, the Rangers (60-92) are motivated to win the rest of the way. Avoiding 100 losses is motivation enough.

“It’s a bad thing to lose 100 games,” Bogar said. “Is 99 much better? Well, it sounds much better — it looks, it sounds, it tastes.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: C Stephen Vogt still isn’t ready to start, though he will test his sprained left ankle by running the bases Friday. … RF Josh Reddick rested a day after a hard tumble that left him with a sore neck and injured left ankle. An MRI exam showed no break.

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Lisalverto Bonilla (1-0) pitches the opener of a weekend series at AL West champion Los Angeles.

Athletics: LHP Jon Lester (15-10) takes the mound at home in the interleague series opener with the Phillies, coming off a combined seven-hit shutout at Seattle last Sunday. He is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four previous starts vs. Philadelphia.

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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