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Gray, A’s beat Texas, now have best record in MLB

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sonny Gray spent the past few days with Oakland pitching coach Curt Young, making subtle adjustments to his delivery.

Gray won’t reveal exactly what he and Young worked on. Suffice to say, the Athletics’ young staff ace is pleased with the results.

Brandon Moss hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the fifth inning, and Gray bounced back from two sub-par outings to lead Oakland over the Texas Rangers 4-2 Wednesday, giving the Athletics (44-28) the best record in the majors.

“Overall it was a pretty good outing,” said Gray, who had won just two of eight starts before going seven innings against Texas and striking out seven.

“I don’t think there really is a difference other than I was able to make pitches,” he said. “That’s probably it. People sometimes forget that baseball is a pretty hard game and there’s going to be some rough patches that you’re going to go through.”

Gray (7-3) bounced back nicely from his recent rough stretch. The right-hander needed only 31 pitches to get through the first three innings, then struck out Brad Snyder on a high 95 mph fastball to end the fourth with runners at second and third.

Gray also got help from left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who made a leaping catch at the warning track to rob Adrian Beltre of extra bases two batters before Snyder struck out.

His lone mistake came in the fifth when Texas loaded the bases with two outs. Gray walked two and gave up an infield single before Shin-Soo Choo’s two-run single made it 2-2.

“It’s just balance for him,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He knows his delivery (and) his mechanics pretty well, and Curt’s terrific at pointing out subtle things. There are a couple things he’s been working on.”

Cespedes and Josh Donaldson each had two hits for the A’s. Oakland has won four of five and is a season-high 16 games over .500.

Their record is one game better than cross-bay rival San Francisco.

“Anytime in the season that you can say you have the best record in baseball, it’s satisfying,” Melvin said. “But there’s a lot of baseball yet to be played. At least for the time being it feels good.”

Luke Gregerson pitched the eighth, and Sean Doolittle worked the ninth for his ninth save.

Nick Tepesch (2-3) went five innings for Texas.

Choo drove in both runs for the Rangers.

“We have to get more than five innings out of our starting pitching and we have to have a shutdown inning after we score runs,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “Somehow that (Oakland) lineup is always functioning. Somebody is always having a good day.”

Melvin shuffled his lineup and didn’t start center fielder Coco Crisp and second baseman Eric Sogard.

Oakland’s offense didn’t miss a beat.

John Jaso replaced Crisp in the leadoff spot and knocked in the A’s first run with a double in the third. Craig Gentry, who filled in at center field, added two hits and scored a run. Second baseman Alberto Callaspo also had two hits.

That was enough for Gray, who gave up two runs and six hits. He improved to 8-2 with a 1.90 ERA in 13 career starts against teams from within the A’s division.

“He was keeping us off balance,” said outfielder Alex Rios, who doubled off Gray in the fourth. “He managed his slider well. and his fastball had good velocity. He was locating it well.”

Cespedes scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning. He singled off Tepesch and scored on Moss’ double to right, barely beating the throw home with a headfirst slide.

After Donaldson singled Moss to third, Stephen Vogt hit a short sacrifice fly to left to put Oakland up 4-2.

Tepesch remained winless since May 26. He allowed nine hits over five innings with two walks and one strikeout.

NOTES: Doolittle hasn’t allowed a run in 22 1/3 innings, the longest active streak in the AL. … Crisp was given a normal day off. … Sogard pinch-ran after Callaspo singled in the ninth. … Rangers 3B Luis Sardinas singled in the third to extend his career-best hitting streak to seven games. … Texas LHP Joe Saunders (0-2), who will pitch the opener against the Angels on Friday, has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four starts since coming off the DL. … Oakland LHP Scott Kazmir (8-2), who opens the series against Boston on Thursday, has a 0.95 ERA over his previous four 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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