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Cano and Seager lead Mariners over Astros 13-2

By WTOP Staff

KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — Jarred Cosart’s curveball is usually a pretty reliable pitch.

That wasn’t the case Tuesday night, when five of the nine hits Houston’s starter allowed in a 13-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners came on curves.

Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager had three RBIs apiece, James Jones added two more and a seven-run sixth inning helped the Mariners score a season high in runs.

Cosart (8-6) tied a season high by allowing six runs on nine hits in 5 2-3 innings to end a four-game winning streak.

“I just was getting behind hitters, and they got five hits on curveballs,” he said. “I have to go watch the video and see if they are bad or I am tipping my pitch or something, but I don’t think I ever gave up that many hits on the curveball. My guess is they weren’t good.”

Manager Bo Porter said Cosart simply didn’t pitch on Tuesday night like he did during his winning streak.

“Just one of those days,” he said. “A lot of pitches up in the zone. When he was on the streak that he was on, he was really finishing his breaking ball and inducing weak contact, but today, there were just a lot of pitches up in the zone.”

Cano drove in two to give Seattle the lead in the first and hit the first of the five doubles in the sixth inning that tied a franchise mark and pushed the lead to 10-1.

Hisashi Iwakuma (6-4) went six innings, giving up a run on seven hits while striking out seven.

Jones’ three hits included a triple. The rookie has seven hits in the first two games of this series. Seager doubled and hit a solo homer in the ninth as the Mariners also set a season-high with 18 hits.

Darin Downs relieved Cosart and allowed five consecutive hits, with four doubles, and the Mariners scored in double digits for the second straight game after winning the opener 10-4.

All of the Mariners’ runs in the sixth came with two outs to mark the first time they’ve had six straight run-scoring hits with two outs in an inning in franchise history, according to STATS. It’s also the first time they’ve scored at least 10 runs in consecutive games since June 19-20, 2012.

Jose Altuve had two hits for his MLB-leading 36th multihit game and Matt Dominguez drove in a run for Houston.

Jones singled in his first two at-bats to give him a hit in six straight plate appearances. He had an RBI in the second and his second one in the seventh made it 11-1.

Domingo Santana, Houston’s eighth-rated prospect by Baseball America, went 0 for 4 in his major league debut after being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday. Santana reached on an error in the seventh inning and scored on a ground-rule double by fellow rookie Kike Hernandez. Santana is the last of the players from the 2011 trade with the Phillies for Hunter Pence to reach the majors, joining Cosart, Jon Singleton and Josh Zeid.

Cano hit a two-run double with two outs in the sixth inning to chase Cosart and push the lead to 5-1. Downs came in and was greeted with three straight doubles: by Seager, Logan Morrison and Mike Zunino to score three more.

“Downs has been outstanding this entire season, and (Tuesday) is just one of those nights where it didn’t go well,” Porter said. “I think he will bounce back, and he will be fine.”

Michael Saunders followed with a run-scoring single before Dustin Ackley doubled off the left field wall to extend the lead to 10-1.

Endy Chavez drew a leadoff walk before consecutive singles by Jones and Cano made it 1-0 in the first. Jones scored on a groundout by Seager to make it 2-0.

Altuve and Presley singled in the first for Houston before Dominguez cut the lead to 2-1 with his two-out single to center field.

Ackley snapped an 0-for-21 skid with a single with one out in the second and scored on a single by Jones to make it 3-1. Ackley tied a season-high with three hits.

Hernandez, who was called up from Oklahoma City on Tuesday, made his major league debut when he entered the game at second base in the seventh inning and finished with two hits.

NOTES: The series wraps up Wednesday when Seattle’s Chris Young opposes Brad Peacock. … The Astros on Tuesday signed OF Derek Fisher, who was the 37th overall pick in the draft. … Houston placed CF Dexter Fowler on the disabled list retroactive to June 27 with a back strain. He is hitting .270 with six homers and 24 RBIs.

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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