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White Sox fall short in 3-2 loss to Indians

By WTOP Staff

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Chicago White Sox staggered into the All-Star break with a tough loss.

Javy Guerra gave up a two-run homer in the eighth to Yan Gomes that erased Chicago’s comeback in the top of the inning, sending the White Sox to a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.

After winning five of six, the White Sox have dropped four of their past five and are 45-51 on the season.

It’s easy to see why manager Robin Ventura wants to see more consistency from his team after the break.

“I’d like it to be better,” Ventura said of the record. “We’ve had spurts where we play well, we’ve had spurts where we didn’t. You wish you were in a better spot but you come back and try to clean that stuff up.”

Gomes drove in all three Cleveland runs. His home run to right off Guerra (0-2) came after the White Sox scored two runs in the top of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.

Nick Swisher led off with a single before Gomes, who also had an RBI single in the second, hit a 1-1 pitch into Chicago’s bullpen.

“A slider, came out, wasn’t a very good one,” Guerra said. “(Gomes) did what he was supposed to.”

Trevor Bauer, whose 10 strikeouts were a career high, blanked the White Sox for 6 2-3 innings, but Chicago scored two runs off Bryan Shaw (4-1) to take the lead.

Conor Gillaspie singled with one out, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Gordon Beckham’s single up the middle. After a groundout, Leury Garcia sent a roller to the right side. Second baseman Jason Kipnis tried to make a backhand stop near the bag, but the ball went under his glove and rolled into center field, allowing Beckham to score.

White Sox starter John Danks gave up only one run and escaped trouble often in his seven innings, as the Indians loaded the bases twice on the left-hander.

In the second, Danks struck out the last two batters after a Carlos Sanchez error loaded the bases. He got Asdrubal Cabrera to ground out to end the sixth.

After an uneven first half of the season, Danks sees a promising team that needs to learn to win consistently.

“We know what we need to do,” Danks said. “We need to go out there and play better baseball all the way around. This is a good group of guys that plays hard, plenty talented, but just gotta put it all together.”

Sanchez made his major league debut for the White Sox, called up from Triple-A Charlotte after the team sent down Andre Rienzo following Saturday’s 6-2 win.

Sanchez was starting in place of All-Star shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who was out of the lineup with a stiff back. Ramirez is expected to play in Tuesday’s All-Star game in Minneapolis.

Ramirez is batting .282 with eight homers, 41 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 95 games.

The White Sox offense wasn’t without chances against Bauer. He allowed eight hits and had at least one base runner in every inning, but pitched out of trouble each time. The right-hander was pulled after All-Star Jose Abreu’s two-out single in the seventh, but Marc Rzepczynski retired Adam Dunn.

Bauer’s first career outing against Chicago last season didn’t work out well. He allowed five runs while recording only two outs, but the Indians rallied for a 19-10 victory.

Bauer more than made up for that Sunday. His biggest jam came in the sixth. Dayan Viciedo singled and Gillaspie walked to start the inning, but Beckham struck out. Gomes quickly fielded Tyler Flowers’ tapper in front of the plate and his throw to third forced Viciedo. Bauer ended the inning by striking out Garcia.

Chicago had three hits in the second, but didn’t score. Gillaspie led off with a single, but was doubled off first when Mike Aviles made a strong throw from foul territory in left field after catching Beckham’s fly ball.

Garcia followed with a single, but Alejandro De Aza flied out.

NOTES: Danks made his 200th career start. … The White Sox have lost 10 of their past 11 against the AL Central. … OF Adam Eaton (jammed left wrist) was out for the second straight day. … With three hits on the day, Abreu, who leads the majors with 29 homers, has hit safely in 26 of his past 27 games, going 38 for 107 (.355) in that span. He also extended his hitting streak to eight games. … The White Sox will open play at home against Houston following the break. LHP Carlos Quintana (5-7) will start the first game.

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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