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Royals roll on, beat Indians 7-1

By WTOP Staff

TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — With another win, the Royals stepped closer to history and a playoff berth.

They’ve got a much bigger goal in mind.

Rookie Yordano Ventura blanked Cleveland’s punchless offense for seven innings as Kansas City kept pressure on first-place Detroit in the AL Central with a 7-1 win over the Indians on Tuesday night.

Following the game, the Royals retreated to their clubhouse to watch the ninth inning of the Tigers’ 5-4 win over Chicago. As they ate their postgame meals, Kansas City’s players roared loudly when the White Sox scored three runs in the ninth to tie it. It got much quieter when Miguel Cabrera delivered a game-winning hit to keep the Tigers one game ahead of Kansas City.

Still, the Royals are stalking.

Manager Ned Yost knows his club almost has a wild-card berth locked up. However, he’s got his sights on a bigger prize.

“I’m not really interested in the wild card right now,” Yost said. “That (magic) number doesn’t mean much to me. The wild card has always been Plan B. We’re in good shape right now. Our focus is on winning this division.”

The hard-throwing Ventura (14-10) allowed four singles and threw a 100 mph fastball on his 104th pitch.

Salvador Perez’s two-out, two-run double off Danny Salazar (6-8) put the Royals ahead 5-0 in the fifth and they turned their attention to the left-field scoreboard to monitor the Tigers’ score. Kansas City remained one game out of first with five games left.

It’s been 29 years since the Royals were in the postseason, and that run in 1985 ended with their only World Series title.

At 86-71, Kansas City matched its win total from last season. It’s the first time the Royals have had consecutive seasons with at least 86 victories since 1977-78.

The playoffs are within reach, but the Royals aren’t banking on anything just yet.

“We’ve got to stick to the plan,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “We keep saying it over and over again, but it’s what you have to do as a team. We went out and took care of our business.”

The Indians’ faint playoff hopes grew dimmer. Cleveland trails Kansas City by 4 1/2 games in the wild-card chase with four games remaining.

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

Ventura made his major league debut against the Indians last September, a performance Indians manager Terry Francona called “electric.”

“We’re not hoping for electric tonight,” Francona said beforehand.

Ventura didn’t have to be. The Indians are currently powerless.

With a chance to stay in the race in the season’s final week, Cleveland is collapsing.

“We didn’t win, which we set out to do,” Francona said. “The only thing we can do now is play tomorrow and try to win that game.”

Omar Infante’s two-run double in the fourth gave the Royals a 2-0 lead, and with the Indians’ offense sputtering, Ventura had more than enough cushion to notch his fifth win in six starts and improve to 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA in five career starts against the Indians. He’s 7-1 with a 2.02 ERA in his last eight starts in the division.

“He’s a special guy,” Yost said. “He has all the makings of being a high-level, upper-tier pitcher in the American League.”

In the fifth, Salazar, who struck out the side in the first two innings, got two quick outs before Hosmer doubled and scored on Billy Butler’s double. Alex Gordon was walked intentionally and Perez drove in two with his shot to left-center, the ball just clearing lunging left fielder Michael Brantley’s glove.

Salazar was dominant in the early going, getting six strikeouts in the first two innings with each whiff coming on a wicked change-up that badly fooled the Royals hitters.

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

ROAD RAGE

Kansas City has won 16 of its last 23 road games since Aug. 1.

MOST YOST

Yost managed in his 770th game with the Royals, tying him with Dick Howser for the most in franchise history. Yost has a 370-400 record with the Royals since being hired in 2010. Yost had 457 wins as Milwaukee’s manager (2003-08).

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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