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Aviles sac fly lifts Indians over Astros in 13

By WTOP Staff

HOUSTON (AP) — The Cleveland Indians relied on their pitching again, and their offense came alive just in time to beat the Houston Astros.

Mike Aviles’ sacrifice fly in the 13th inning scored Jose Ramirez and gave the Indians a 2-1 win on Thursday night.

Ramirez doubled with one out before Samuel Deduno (2-6) walked Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana to set up Aviles’ fly to right. Jake Marisnick’s throw to the plate was offline, and Ramirez scored easily.

“When I first hit it, I was like, ‘Man, that would be my luck’ because I know Jake has a really good arm,” Aviles said. “The first thing I thought was (Ramirez) would get thrown out. When I saw the throw, I thought we got this run, so we needed to hang on.”

Kyle Crockett (4-0) got the Indians out of trouble in the 12th, and Cody Allen pitched the 13th for his 22nd save.

“I think we say every day that we need to be one run better,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “We’re sort of taking that to the extreme, but we won. And when you win a game like that, it doesn’t matter how hard it was when it’s over.”

With the win, the Indians stayed within striking distance in the AL playoff chase with 10 games left. Cleveland is 5 games out in the AL Central race and four games off the pace in the chase for two wild card spots.

“The one thing we have to worry about is ourselves,” Aviles said. “We have to come out and play every game and try to win every game. Whatever happens, happens. We are at a point where we kind of dug ourselves a hole with how we played earlier in the year.

“When you think about it, you have to go out there and try to win every game.”

Santana tied it 1-1 in the ninth, driving in Ramirez with an RBI single to right off Chad Qualls. He got the final two outs of the inning to escape without further damage.

Cleveland’s pitching was superb in the four-game series against the Astros, allowing only six runs.

“Whatever it takes to win is what we have to try to do,” Francona said.

Marisnick had an RBI single in the fourth to put Houston in front 1-0.

“That stings,” Marisnick said of the loss. “For our pitchers to go out and pitch like they did and not give them some run support and get out of there with a win, it definitely stings a little bit.”

Astros starter Scott Feldman allowed one run and four hits with two strikeouts as he pitched into the ninth inning for the third time in four starts. Feldman retired 15 straight batters before Lonnie Chisenhall’s two-out single in the eighth.

“He went out there and shut them down for eight innings,” Astros interim manager Tom Lawless said of Feldman.

Cleveland starter Danny Salazar gave up one run and five hits with nine strikeouts in 7 1-3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Indians 2B Jason Kipnis left the game after the seventh inning because of right hamstring tightness. He is listed as day-to-day. Kipnis was replaced by Aviles.

ON DECK:

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (5-8) will take the mound Friday in the first of a three-game series at Minnesota. The Indians have lost each of Bauer’s last four starts after winning four straight.

Astros: RHP Brad Peacock (4-8) will start for Houston against the Seattle Mariners on Friday as the teams begin a three-game series. Peacock, who was scratched from his scheduled start on Monday with back soreness, is 1-0 with a 1.66 ERA in his last four starts.

ASTROS MOVE TRIPLE-A AFFILIATE:

The Houston Astros signed a two-year contract to move their Triple-A affiliate to Fresno, California, from Oklahoma City, which had been the home to the Astros’ Triple-A team since 2011. The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Wednesday they were moving their Triple-A affiliation to Oklahoma City starting next year. Fresno had been the home to the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A team, but the Giants moved their top minor league home to Sacramento, California.

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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