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A’s avoid sweep with 7-1 win over Angels

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — After sweeping the Angels at home two weeks ago, the last thing the Oakland Athletics wanted was for Los Angeles to return the favor.

Stephen Vogt hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot against Jered Weaver, and Tommy Milone pitched into the seventh inning to help the A’s beat their AL West rivals 7-1 Wednesday night and increase their lead in the division to 3 1/2 games.

“That was a big one, no doubt about it,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I mean, with them playing as well as they are, and the fact that Weaver’s been pretty tough on us, that’s a pretty tall order for Milone. And I don’t know that you can pitch much better than he did.”

Milone (4-3) allowed a run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks. The left-hander is 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last seven starts overall, and 4-0 with a 3.54 ERA in five career starts at Angel Stadium.

Weaver (7-5) gave up four runs and six hits through 5 1-3 innings in his 14th start, matching his shortest outing of the season. In his last two starts against Oakland, the three-time All-Star has allowed nine earned runs in 11 1-3 innings.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game, and most of the time he’s going to get the best of most teams,” Oakland’s Coco Crisp said. “It just so happened that these last couple of games against him we’ve put up some runs.”

Both center fielders made home run-saving catches — Mike Trout robbing Yoenis Cespedes to end the first inning and Crisp pulling back Josh Hamilton’s drive leading off the second.

“I knew it was going to be close to the wall,” Crisp said. “It’s always exciting. I try to take as much pride in defense as possible. And when you’re able to make a play for your pitcher, it’s gratifying.”

Cespedes snuffed out an Angels rally in the seventh with his major league-leading ninth outfield assist, throwing out Albert Pujols at third after misplaying his double to left field. Cespedes got a huge assist from third baseman Josh Donaldson, who caught the throw going away from the bag and made a diving tag on Pujols.

Tuesday night, Cespedes threw out Howie Kendrick at the plate with a 300-foot throw from the left field corner after misplaying a double by Trout — the third time he threw out an Angels runner at home this season.

“He’s got a few assists this year,” Melvin said. “That was a tough throw he had to make tonight, and I’m sure that’s why Albert tried to run on him there. … Throwing it right on the money from a long way away on the fly was the only way he was going to get him, and he did it again. He never ceases to amaze.”

The A’s broke a 1-all tie with three runs in the sixth. Cespedes led off with a double that deflected off the glove of third baseman John McDonald as he dove toward the line, and Brandon Moss hit a dribbler to the left of the mound that got past Weaver for a single with the Angels overshifting to the right side.

Cespedes scored the go-ahead run on Jed Lowrie’s sacrifice fly. Vogt, making his sixth start since his recall from Triple-A Sacramento on June 1 and his fourth behind the plate, chased Weaver with a drive deep into the right field seats on the right-hander’s 104th pitch.

“I just tried to see something up against Weaver. Fortunately it was a fastball and I was able to get to it,” Vogt said.

Weaver has allowed a home run in six consecutive starts — equaling his career-worst stretch, which occurred in his final six outings of 2011.

“It was rough tonight, obviously,” Weaver said. “I’ve had better games, and one bad pitch was the difference in this one.”

Oakland tacked on three more runs in the ninth against Cory Rasmus. Crisp and Cespedes had RBI singles, and Eric Sogard scored when the rookie right-hander tried to pick off Crisp at first base and threw the ball away.

Lowrie ended a career-worst 0-for-21 drought with an opposite-field single in the third.

Cespedes drove in Oakland’s first run with a third-inning single, and Hamilton drove in the Angels’ first run with a fourth-inning double off the glove of first baseman Moss.

NOTES: Oakland LHP Fernando Abad has stranded all 14 of his inherited baserunnners, while Angels RHP Fernando Salas has allowed all nine of his inherited runners to score. … The Angels are 13-18 against AL West teams and 23-11 against everyone else. … Oakland LHP Sean Doolittle has not allowed a run in a career-best 21 1-3 consecutive innings, and has 44 strikeouts with only one walk.

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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