Skip to main content

Abreu extends streak, White Sox beat Twins 10-8

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Sale had a rare off night on the mound. Good thing for the White Sox, Jose Abreu came through again at the plate.

The Cuban slugger reached base five times while extending his hitting streak to 21 games, and Chicago scored four runs in the eighth inning to beat the Minnesota Twins 10-8 on Friday night.

Abreu had three singles, scored twice and drove in a run. He also walked and was hit by a pitch.

The 21-game hitting streak is the longest by a White Sox player since Carlos Lee’s club-record run of 28 in 2004. Abreu has reached base in 10 straight plate appearances. No White Sox player has done that since Frank Thomas set a team mark of 15 in 1997.

“Anything you throw up there I think he’s going to hit hard,” manager Robin Ventura said.

Paul Konerko and Alexei Ramirez delivered consecutive RBI singles in the eighth to give Chicago an 8-7 lead. Tyler Flowers added a run-scoring single in the inning after hitting a solo homer earlier in the game. Alejandro De Aza capped the decisive rally with another RBI single, and the White Sox overcame a shaky start by Sale to win for the sixth time in eight games.

“I don’t have the prescience to tell you where this season is going to take us,” Sale said. “But as long as we come in every day and we work hard and play like we played tonight and string some stuff together, I don’t see why we couldn’t be there with anybody else.”

The Twins had the bases loaded with no outs in the ninth against Jake Petricka when Kurt Suzuki drove in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder. But Petricka struck out Kennys Vargas and Oswaldo Arcia for his seventh save in eight chances, ending a game that lasted 3 hours, 47 minutes.

“We had a lot of good things happen tonight except the end,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

The teams combined for 31 hits — 17 for Chicago — and spent most of the game trading leads.

The Twins went up 7-6 in the top half of the eighth on a solo homer by Chris Parmelee off Eric Surkamp, only to have the White Sox answer in a big way in the bottom half.

That rally made a winner of Javy Guerra (1-2), who retired the final two batters in the eighth.

Sale gave up a season-high tying five runs and eight hits over six innings.

Minnesota’s Logan Darnell lasted just four innings in his second major league start, allowing four runs and five hits in five innings. He walked four after getting roughed up by the White Sox last Saturday.

ON DECK

The White Sox send Scott Carroll (4-6, 4.29) to the mound with Yohan Pino (1-3, 4.38) pitching for Minnesota.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: First baseman Joe Mauer (strained right oblique) and starter Ricky Nolasco (sore right elbow) are scheduled to begin minor league rehab stints next week.

White Sox: Pitching coach Don Cooper rejoined the team after missing 11 games because of vertigo. General manager Rick Hahn had some burn marks on the right side of his face stemming from an accident with a new fire pit at his house on Monday night.

NO DEAL, NO FUN

Hahn said the White Sox were close to a three-team deal before Thursday’s non-waiver trade deadline and was disappointed nothing materialized. “I sort of felt like the kid looking out the window with all his friends playing outside while I was inside practicing my violin,” he said.

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