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White Sox fall to Tigers 6-1 after benches clear

By WTOP Staff

NOAH TRISTER
AP Baseball Writer

DETROIT (AP) — The final inning of Chris Sale’s stellar season was certainly an eventful one.

Sale hit Victor Martinez with a pitch in the sixth, and the benches and bullpens briefly emptied. Then the Detroit Tigers broke up the Chicago ace’s shutout and went on to beat the White Sox 6-1.

The White Sox led 1-0 with one out in the sixth when Sale’s first pitch to Martinez hit the Detroit slugger around the back of his left shoulder. Martinez walked slowly to first, and although the benches and bullpens briefly emptied, the situation didn’t escalate.

“Obviously, we knew his numbers against myself, and I was just trying to pitch him inside, and one got away,” Sale said. “After that, tempers flared — we’re just a bunch of big kids out there playing baseball, and we get emotional. That’s all it was.”

The Tigers had a different explanation.

“They were claiming that someone with binoculars in center field was giving signs to Victor,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “I think it’s a little weak that they would hit him. If they injure Victor there and we’re in the playoff hunt, that’s bad news. That just can’t happen.

“He clearly did it on purpose. He made it obvious.”

Sale didn’t accuse the Tigers of stealing signs afterward. He did appear to point toward center field after hitting Martinez, but he said he wasn’t specifically gesturing toward there.

“I was just throwing my arms up, like you do when you are upset,” the left-hander said. “I wasn’t really trying to control where they pointed.”

Sale appeared to tip his hat toward the outfield in the third inning after striking out Martinez.

“There was a fan that was just wearing me out in the bullpen before the game, telling me that I wasn’t any good, and telling me how much Victor was going to hit me,” Sale said. “So that was just having some fun with him.”

Justin Verlander (15-12) allowed a run in eight innings for Detroit.

Sale allowed a run and four hits in six innings in his last start of the season. He struck out 10 and walked three, becoming his franchise’s career leader with his 18th game of at least 10 strikeouts. Ed Walsh had 17.

But Chicago’s slim lead slipped away after he hit Martinez.

“I think he just woke the whole team up,” said Martinez, who is 15 of 29 for his career off Sale.

J.D. Martinez followed with a double and Nick Castellanos hit a sacrifice fly to tie it at 1.

Ian Kinsler’s RBI double the following inning off Javy Guerra (2-4) put Detroit ahead, and when Kinsler reached second, he put his hands up in front of his eyes, pantomiming someone looking through binoculars.

Miguel Cabrera added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Detroit scored three runs in the eighth on a well-executed squeeze play by Andrew Romine and RBI singles by Rajai Davis and Kinsler.

Cabrera struck out four times, only the third time in his career that’s happened and the first time since Sept. 17, 2010.

AMONG THE LEADERS

Sale finishes with a 2.17 ERA, which will almost surely be good enough to win the American League ERA title. Seattle’s Felix Hernandez is at 2.34.

QUALITY START

The brouhaha involving Sale and Martinez overshadowed another fine outing by Verlander, who allowed seven hits and struck out six.

Verlander has not been at his best this year, but the former Cy Young Award winner has made it to the eighth inning in back-to-back starts.

“He threw really well today,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “As good as Chris was, he was matching him the whole way, and even when we got him into some tough situations, he got himself back out of them. He can still pitch.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: After the bench-clearing incident, Sale pitched the rest of the sixth before being pulled after 101 pitches. Ventura was already trying to ease the left-hander into the offseason. Sale finishes the year at 174 innings after missing a month early on with a muscle strain near his left elbow.

Tigers: Detroit RHP Anibal Sanchez (pectoral strain) still has not pitched since being activated from the disabled list before Tuesday’s game. He’s now part of the Tigers’ bullpen but was not used Wednesday.

UP NEXT

White Sox: After losing two of three to the Tigers, Chicago has another chance to play spoiler in a four-game series against the Royals. White Sox LHP Jose Quintana (9-10) faces Kansas City RHP James Shields (14-8) on Thursday night.

Tigers: Detroit hosts four games against Minnesota. Tigers RHP Max Scherzer (17-5) takes the mound against Twins RHP Trevor May (3-5) on Thursday night.

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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