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Rays strike late in 6-2 win at Boston

By WTOP Staff

DOUG ALDEN
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Boston’s Clay Buchholz made a few late mistakes that quickly turned his shutout bid into a rout for the Rays.

Tampa Bay scored five runs against Buchholz with two out in the eighth inning, rallying the Rays to a 6-2 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night.

“Obviously you never want to give up any runs whenever you get that deep into a game,” Buchholz said. “It’s tough to swallow — giving up five in one inning late in the game.”

Buchholz (8-10) entered the game on a streak of 22 straight innings against the Rays without allowing a run. He had a shutout going through seven, but a leadoff walk in the eighth and two hit batters opened the door for Tampa Bay’s comeback.

Boston was clinging to a 1-0 lead when Ben Zobrist hit a two-run double to left field, just out of Yoenis Cespedes’ reach at the base of the Green Monster.

“The ball carries over his head for the two run double and then things kind of got away from us a little bit the remainder of that inning,” Boston manager John Farrell said

Zobrist was just 4 for 38 in his career against Buchholz before getting three hits on Tuesday.

Matt Joyce added a solo homer in the ninth and Alex Cobb pitched seven strong innings for Tampa Bay. The Rays entered the series between the bottom two teams in the AL East two days after their 81st loss, a total that guaranteed Tampa Bay will not finish with a winning record.

Cobb (10-8) kept the Rays’ slim hopes for a .500 finish alive, holding Boston to one run on five hits despite struggling through early control issues with his fastball.

“The one thing I’ve started to learn as I’ve gotten more experience is I can go out and battle when I don’t have my best stuff,” said Cobb, who struck out three and walked one.

Daniel Nava had an RBI double in the fourth for the Red Sox. It stood as the game’s only run until Tampa Bay got to Buchholz in the eighth.

Zobrist doubled with two on to drive in the first two runs and scored on a single by David DeJesus. Buchholz hit Evan Longoria with a pitch and was replaced by Tommy Layne, whose wild pitch allowed both runners to advance and score easily when James Loney added a single.

All five runs went to Buchholz, who allowed eight hits over 7 2-3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

FRUSTRATINGLY CLOSE:

After just missing on a leaping attempt to catch Zobrist’s line drive and end the top of the eighth, Cespedes’ frustration carried over in the bottom half. Cespedes struck out looking for the third out, then was quickly ejected for something he said to home plate umpire Jeff Nelson.

Buchholz credited his left fielder for the defensive effort.

“That wall is sort of intimidating. Just standing out there during BP, it’s tough to make yourself go all the way back to it,” he said. “Tough play.”

DOUBLE DIGITS

Cobb has won at least 10 games for three straight seasons. He had been stuck on nine wins since a victory over the Tigers on Aug. 21 and said he was a little surprised his to pick up No. 10 on Tuesday.

“Location for the first few, maybe four innings was really bad,” Cobb said. “I was able to control my body a little bit better and get better results later on.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: SS Yunel Escobar left the game with a sprained left knee after getting thrown out at the plate in the third inning. Escobar was attempting to slide when his front foot got caught and locked up his leg. Manager Joe Maddon said Escobar is likely done for the season.

“I don’t think it’s anything serious, but enough to keep him out for any week of the season,” Maddon said.

Red Sox: 3B Will Middlebrooks (sprained right hand) and SS Xander Bogaerts (stiff neck) were both in the original starting lineup but were late scratches after batting practice. Both are considered day-to-day, Boston manager John Farrell said.

UP NEXT

Rays: RHP Jake Odorizzi (11-12, 3.98 ERA) allowed just one run over six innings against the Yankees on Wednesday in his last start.

Red Sox: RHP Anthony Ranaudo (3-3, 5.29) will make his seventh major league start and try to finish the season with a winning record. Ranaudo has picked up the loss in his last three starts.

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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