Skip to main content

Price, Rays beat Yankees 2-1 for 4th straight win

By WTOP Staff

BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — David Price can’t control the trade speculation. The opposing hitters, he can handle them just fine.

Price came within one pitch of extending his remarkable strikeout streak, yet still did plenty to lead the resurgent Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Yankees 2-1 on a warm Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

“Stay here, David,” Rays manager Joe Maddon implored.

James Loney hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning and the Rays matched their longest win string of the season. Derek Jeter tied Lou Gehrig’s team record for doubles as the Yankees equaled their worst skid this year with their fourth loss in a row.

Price (7-7) struck out nine — he fanned at least 10 in each of his previous five starts, and was trying to join Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to accomplish the feat six straight times.

“That would’ve been cool,” Price said.

The left-hander gave up four hits and was pulled after seven innings and 119 pitches. He fanned Francisco Cervelli for the second out in the bottom of the seventh, then got two strikes on both Yangervis Solarte and Brett Gardner, missed with a couple of close pitches and couldn’t quite get strikeout No. 10.

In 23 career starts against the Yankees, Price has never reached double digits in strikeouts.

The Rays, who spent most of June with the worst record in the majors, have won six of seven. Their recent struggles had fueled talk that Tampa Bay might trade Price before the July 31 deadline.

Price has said that the more the Rays win, the better chance he has of staying with his original club.

“I just play ball,” the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner said. “That’s my job.”

Jake McGee pitched a perfect eighth and Grant Balfour worked around a pair of walks in the ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances.

Maddon has gone to a closer-by-committee approach. He said he picked Balfour this time because of a bit of “karma” — the manager saw the reliever walking his grandmother into the team hotel lobby earlier in the day.

“True,” Maddon said.

Balfour said his grandmom, in her mid-80s, came from the family’s home in Australia to see one game at Yankee Stadium.

“I’m sure she was happy I was able to get in tonight,” Balfour said.

New York (41-41) has dropped eight of 10.

“The guys we have, they’ve got to get it done. That’s the bottom line,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “As I said, it’s not just a couple of guys going, it’s a number of guys.”

“No one is going to feel sorry for you,” he said. “No one has a magic potion. You just have to grind it out.”

It was 1-all when Loney hit the first pitch of the sixth from Hiroki Kuroda (5-6) into the Yankees bullpen in right-center field. His fifth home run of the season gave him 11 RBIs in 14 games.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Matt Joyce and Evan Longoria opened with singles and, after Loney struck out, Logan Forsythe hit an RBI single.

A wild throw on a rundown gave the Yankees a run in the bottom half.

Jeter led off with his 534th career double and went to third on Jacoby Ellsbury’s single. Price trapped Ellsbury with a pickoff throw, but he was hit in the back by shortstop Ben Zobrist’s throw and Jeter scored.

Zobrist is playing shortstop in place of regular starter Yunel Escobar, put on the disabled list before the game because of a sore right shoulder.

NOTES: Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long was ejected in the sixth for arguing balls and strikes from the bench. … Cervelli nearly tumbled over the dugout railing while catching Zobrist’s foul pop in the first. Maddon helped steady the backup catcher, who started in place of Brian McCann. In the ninth, McCann pinch hit and looked at strike three with a runner on first. After hitting just .221 with nine homers and 36 RBIs at the halfway mark, McCann said he’s been “horrible” this season. An All-Star with Atlanta, he signed an $85 million, five-year deal with the Yankees. Girardi said it was just a regular day off for rest. “I believe he’s going to hit,” Girardi said. “At times, I think he’s been a little anxious.” … Tampa Bay RF Kevin Kiermaier and a couple of Rays got into the World Cup spirit, dying their hair red, white and blue to support the U.S. soccer team. … Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-7, 4.14 ERA) starts against LHP Vidal Nuno (2-4, 5.42) in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. … Johnson remains the last pitcher to strike out at least 10 in six consecutive starts. He did it in 2002 with Arizona. The record is eight in a row by Martinez in 1999 with Boston.

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote