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Mariners hit 4 HRs in 10-4 win over Astros

By WTOP Staff

KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — Seattle’s Taijuan Walker had a shaky first couple of innings, giving up a pair of home runs to the Astros in his season debut Monday night.

Fortunately for the 21-year-old right-hander, the Mariners had soon collected double that number of home runs and Walker settled down to help Seattle to a 10-4 win.

Robinson Cano’s three-run shot in the seventh inning highlighted a night with a season-high four homers for the Mariners.

Mike Zunino had a two-run drive in the second, Michael Saunders added a pair on his long ball in the fourth and Brad Miller homered two batters later to help the Mariners to their eighth win in 10 games.

Walker (1-0), a heralded prospect, allowed home runs to George Springer and Marwin Gonzalez before striking out six in six innings in his return from a shoulder injury.

“I thought he threw pretty darn good,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “Command was a little shaky to start with, but I thought he settled down and threw some decent breaking balls, some decent changeups. Starting to find a rhythm a little bit. Did OK.”

Walker said he tried not to get down on himself, but he knew that he could do a better job than he was doing early.

“I’m not swearing at myself, but I’m talking to myself: ‘C’mon Taijuan. Just keep the ball down and get ahead in the count,'” he said. “(Monday) my fastball command wasn’t there, so I relied on my changeup. That got me through it.”

Rookie James Jones had a career-high four hits and his second three-steal game. He’s the second player in franchise history and first since Ichiro Suzuki in 2004 to have at least four hits and three steals in a game.

Houston starter Collin McHugh (4-7) allowed five hits, five runs and tied a career high with three home runs in six innings.

“From the beginning of the game, he just really had trouble locating his fastball,” manager Bo Porter said. “When you fall behind and get into predictable fastball counts, he ran into some guys that put good swings on it.”

Walker has started four major league games and three have come against the Astros. He picked up his second win on Monday night and the first since he also beat the Astros in his major league debut on Aug. 30.

Houston’s Jose Altuve went 0 for 3, but extended his franchise record by stealing a base in his seventh straight game. He leads the American League with 37 this season and his seven-game steal streak is the most in the majors since Chone Figgins did it in 2010.

He was plunked on the left elbow in the fifth inning, but appeared to be OK.

Alex Presley singled with one out in the first before Springer’s towering shot, which bounced off the glass above the left field wall, gave Houston a 2-0 lead. It was the first career homer allowed by Walker and traveled an estimated at 445 feet, which is the longest ever hit to left field by an Astro.

Walker wasn’t sure if that was the longest home run he’d allowed.

“I’ve given up a few that were pretty far,” he said. “I didn’t watch it. It was high enough. I didn’t want to turn around.”

Springer leads the Astros with 16 homers this season, which is a franchise record for a rookie before the All-Star break.

Logan Morrison drew a walk to start the second before Zunino’s homer to the Crawford Boxes in left field tied it at 2.

Gonzalez put Houston back on top in the bottom of the inning with his two-out homer, which crashed off the foul pole in right field.

Zunino struck out with one out in the fourth inning, but reached first on a wild pitch. Saunders gave Seattle a 4-3 lead with his homer to the second deck in right field.

McHugh struck out Dustin Ackley before Miller’s fifth home run this month pushed the lead to 5-3.

The Mariners got consecutive singles by Endy Chavez and Jones in the seventh before Cano’s home run off Josh Zeid sailed into the Crawford Boxes to make it 8-3.

NOTES: Houston optioned SS Jonathan Villar to Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated RHP Jerome Williams for assignment after the game. Williams had a 6.04 ERA in 26 games this season. … Walker is the third pitcher since 2004 to face the same team three times within four starts, joining Wade LeBlanc and Justin Germano. … The series continues Tuesday when Houston’s Jarred Cosart opposes Hisashi Iwakuma.

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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