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Guthrie strong in Royals’ 3-1 win over White Sox

By WTOP Staff

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — On paper, it didn’t look like a good matchup for Jeremy Guthrie.

The Kansas City Royals starter had yielded an American League high 12 home runs and the Chicago White Sox rank second in the AL with 52 long balls.

The right-hander didn’t get the win, but he beat the odds.

Guthrie, Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined on a four-hitter and the Kansas City Royals rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 Wednesday night and avoid being swept in their three-game series.

“I try to win and try not to give up home runs,” Guthrie said. “You tell me how I’m doing. I’ve got 12 home runs and two wins. So I guess I’m not doing so hot on either.”

The White Sox had scored 14 runs and hit five home runs in the first two games.

“Today was more defense and pitching,” Guthrie said. “They hit for power, which is obviously dangerous anytime when you have a chance to leave the yard. It makes it tough to pitch to them.”

Guthrie, who is winless in seven starts since an April 9 victory over Tampa Bay, left after seven innings with the score 1-1. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out two.

“He just moves the ball in and out,” White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie said. “Guthrie throws a lot of pitches out of the zone and it seemed like he does it on purpose, but not really today. We just kept swinging at it.”

Guthrie credited his fastball for his success against the White Sox.

“I thought the fastball was used effectively to both sides of the plate to all the hitters. …” he said. “My mindset was to throw strikes and get deep into the game.”

Wade Davis (3-1) struck out two in a flawless eighth and has tossed 10 scoreless innings in his last nine appearances. Greg Holland logged his 13th save in 14 chances, but not before giving up a single to Dayan Viciedo and walking Adam Dunn in the ninth.

“It makes everybody’s job easier when you have Wade and Holland and the way they’re thrown the ball all season long,” Guthrie said.

The Royals snapped a 1-1 tie in the eighth when Nori Aoki scored on Billy Butler’s sacrifice fly. Aoki started the one-out rally with a bunt single on a two-strike count. He advanced to third on Alcides Escobar’s single. Eric Hosmer was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Aoki scored on Butler’s fly to right.

“That’s actually the first time in my entire baseball career I’ve bunted with two strikes,” Aoki said. “I was actually pretty nervous. Pedro (Grifol, hitting coach) convinced me to do it. I guess I have a pretty high chance of getting a bunt down, so it doesn’t really matter what the count is. I’m glad I was able to do that today.”

Danny Valencia then walked on five pitches, scoring Escobar with the second run of the inning.

Paul Konerko, who leads all active visiting players with 149 RBIs at Kauffman Stadium, singled to left in the second to score Alexei Ramirez for the Chicago’s run.

The Royals tied it in the third when Aoki’s groundball single to left scored Pedro Ciriaco.

The Royals wasted a chance to take the lead in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out on singles by Butler, Valencia and Lorenzo Cain. Ciriaco, however, rolled the first pitch back to the mound and left-hander Jose Quintana started an inning ending double play.

Quintana (2-4) took the loss, charged with three runs on eight hits over 7 1-3 innings.

“I feel a little bit sad for no win,” Quintana said. “It was a really hard game. We won the series and we’ll get ready for the next game. I think next time it’ll be better for me. I don’t get frustrated. I only have control to pitch a good game.”

NOTES: RHP Matt Lindstrom, who tops the White Sox with six saves, will have left ankle surgery to repair a torn sheath Friday and is expected to be out three months. RHP Ronald Belisario will close out White Sox games in Lindstrom’s absence. . White Sox LHP Chris Sale will come off the disabled list Thursday and start against the Yankees, his first outing since April 17. . The Royals’ 20 home runs rank last in the majors.

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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