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Astros’ rally falls short against Rangers, 2-1

By WTOP Staff

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Already assured of their best finish since 2010 thanks to the second-best turnaround in the major leagues this season, the Houston Astros are struggling in the final days.

Nick Martinez pitched 6 2-3 scoreless innings and Robinson Chirinos homered to lead the Texas Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the Astros on Tuesday night, handing Houston its sixth loss in eight games.

The Astros trailed 2-0 in the ninth and nearly tied the score as Dexter Fowler walked, moved to third on Jake Marisnick’s double and scored on Matt Dominguez’s sacrifice fly. However, Marisnick was stranded on second when Texas reliever Neal Cotts got Jonathan Villar on a game-ending grounder.

“We hung around in that game,” said Houston interim manager Tom Lawless, 10-10 since taking over for Bo Porter. “They left 12 guys on base, and we’re still in the ballgame 2-0. We just couldn’t put anything together offensively until the ninth.”

Lawless said his club might be pressing but certainly shows no quit.

“Twenty-seven outs are in that game,” he said. “We’re going to play 27 outs.”

Martinez (5-11) allowed only five hits.

Houston’s Brett Oberholtzer (5-13) gave up both runs in the fourth inning, including a 405-foot home run to straight-away center field by Chirinos, his 12th of the season.

“Unfortunately, every inning was pretty stressful,” said Oberholtzer, 0-3 against the Rangers this season and 0-4 against them in his two-year major league career. “A lot of base runners put me in a bad situation.”

Marwin Gonzalez had a single and a double for the Astros. Jose Altuve, the American League’s leading hitter at .345 coming into the game, went hitless in four at-bats.

The Rangers won their third straight and 10th of their last 11 games.

BATTING RACE

With Altuve leading the league batting race by nine points going into Tuesday’s play, Lawless said he’ll let Altuve decide how much he plays the rest of the season. Altuve has started all but five games. Lawless said he might give Altuve the last two games off if he has clinched the title by then.

SINGLETON STRUGGLES

Rookie 1B Jon Singleton struck out twice, dropping his batting average to .168 with 133 strikeouts, and should be in Wednesday night’s lineup. Lawless said he wants Singleton to finish the year on a positive note and probably won’t have a chance to play much over the weekend against the New York Mets since DH Chris Carter will move to first base.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: RHP Josh Fields (general soreness) and LHP Darin Downs (oblique) remain day to day. Fields last pitched on Sept. 9, Downs on Sept. 19.

Rangers: 2B Jurickson Profar (shoulder) has been shut down for the third time since aggravating a 2010 injury during spring training. General manager Jon Daniels said Profar will undergo physical therapy and rehab work with the hope of being able to throw around early January.

UP NEXT

Astros RHP Scott Feldman (8-11) will start Wednesday night’s series finale. Feldman has recorded sixth consecutive quality starts. Rangers RHP Lisalverto Bonilla (2-0) will try to become the first Rangers pitcher to win his first three career starts since Alexi Ogando in April 2011. Bonilla took a no-hitter into the fifth inning of his most recent start.

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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