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Indians fall to Royals 7-1, playoff hopes dimmed

By WTOP Staff

TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians began the week with improbable odds of making the playoffs.

They’re now nearly impossible.

“We didn’t win,” manager Terry Francona said, “which we set out to do.”

Danny Salazar fell apart following a strong first two innings and Cleveland’s offense sputtered again in a 7-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals, dropping the Indians 4 1/2 games behind the Royals in a wild-card race that’s all but over.

With only four games left, the Indians need help. So far, they haven’t helped themselves.

“It’s bad, terrible,” said Salazar, who struck out six of the first eight batters he faced before crumbling. “Everybody is going out there and trying to do their best. It’s just gone a different way than we want.”

Rookie Yordano Ventura (14-10) blanked Cleveland’s punchless offense for seven innings as the Royals kept pressure on first-place Detroit in the AL Central. The hard-throwing Ventura allowed five hits and threw a 100 mph fastball on his 104th pitch as the Royals stayed one game back in the division.

Ventura overpowered the Indians, and that hasn’t been hard to do lately.

“He’s got some of the best arm speed you’ll ever see,” Francona said of Ventura, now 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA in five career starts against Cleveland. “We made him work, we just didn’t have anything to show for it. It’s frustrating.”

Salazar was confusing.

The right-hander, who sustained an unspecified hand injury on the team’s recent road trip, was dominant in the early going. He had six strikeouts through two innings with each whiff coming on a wicked change-up that badly fooled the Royals.

Salazar escaped a threat in the third, but he wasn’t so fortunate in the fourth, when he walked Billy Butler and gave up a single to Alex Gordon before Omar Infante pulled a two-run double into the left-field corner.

The Royals scored three more runs in the fifth. Salazar got two quick outs before Eric Hosmer doubled and scored on Butler’s double. Gordon was walked intentionally and Salvador Perez drove in two with his shot to left-center, the ball just clearing lunging left fielder Michael Brantley’s glove.

Salazar’s outing was perplexing to Francona.

“He came out of the shoot working ahead, throwing a good fastball and probably the best change-up we’ve seen, and then all of a sudden it was like a switch,” Francona said. “His pitches were up, the tempo on his delivery slowed down a little bit and his fastball started leaking back over the plate and it was up.

“It was almost like two different pitchers and a lot of it happened with two outs and nobody on.”

Francona isn’t ready to give up on a season where the Indians have gotten unexpected starting pitching and solid relief but have struggled to score.

“The only thing we can do now is play tomorrow and try to win,” Francona said.

Cleveland’s offense went into a funk at the worst time possible. The Indians scored their only run in the eighth, ending a string of 19 straight scoreless innings.

IRON MEN

The Indians’ bullpen has never been busier. No team’s has. With Scott Atchison making his 70th appearance, the Indians became the first team in AL history to have four pitchers with at least 70 outings in one season. He joins Bryan Shaw (77), Cody Allen (74) and Marc Rzepczynski (71).

SORRY, GUYS: RHP Carlos Carrasco apologized for criticizing his defense for not making two plays in Monday’s 2-0 loss. Carrasco felt 1B Chris Gimenez and SS Jose Ramirez both should have done better on hard-hit balls. Carrasco issued a public apology, which was distributed by the team and he personally told Gimenez he was sorry.

MAGIC NUMBERS

OF Michael Brantley needs four hits to reach 200 and three RBIs to get 100. The Indians haven’t had a player with 200 hits and 100 RBIs since Joe Carter in 1986.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: OF David Murphy has been limited to spot duty against right-handers as he deals with a nagging abdominal injury that landed him on the disabled list in August. Francona said Murphy isn’t 100 percent and that he’s trying to “be respectful of him” by not playing him too much.

UP NEXT

LHP Jason Vargas (11-10), who has recorded the AL’s third-lowest ERA (2.42) on the road, starts the series finale for the Royals, who oddly lost as the home team on Monday when they dropped a suspended game. Trevor Bauer (5-8) goes for the Indians, who have lost each of his past four starts after winning four in a row and five of six.

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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