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Rangers routed by Indians 12-2

By WTOP Staff

CLEVELAND (AP) — In a lost season, the Texas Rangers keep strugging on the road.

Jerome Williams was roughed up for 10 runs in four-plus innings as the Rangers were beaten once again by the Cleveland Indians in a 12-2 loss Friday night.

It wasn’t a good sign for the start of the Rangers’ nine-game road trip. After starting the season 15-10 on the road, the Rangers have gone 7-23 away from home since May 30, losing 17 of their last 20 road games.

Texas has also lost nine of its last 10 games against Cleveland.

“(Williams) didn’t have his changeup, didn’t really have his breaking ball. And he didn’t command his fastball,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “Got a lot of ground balls, but they were hard-hit and they found holes.”

Williams (2-5), making the start in place of the injured Nick Tepesch, allowed the first five Indians to reach base in the fifth in what would become a six-run inning, highlighted by two-run hits from former Ranger David Murphy and Mike Aviles.

“I didn’t execute and that’s what happens when you don’t execute,” Williams said. “I walked three guys, that’s not me. I don’t walk people, I try and attack. It’s unacceptable.”

Cleveland scored a run in the first and two more runs in both the third and fourth innings. Lonnie Chisenhall added a solo homer in the sixth.

Murphy had four hits against his former club, and Michael Brantley added three hits and two RBIs. Cleveland totaled 16 hits — 13 off Williams.

Murphy played for Texas from 2007-13 before signing a two-year contract with the Indians in November.

Williams allowed just one run in six innings in a 4-1 win against Oakland in his first start with Texas on July 25.

Offense was nonexistent for Texas, as the Rangers managed just four hits off Salazar (4-4), who walked three and struck out four in six innings. The Rangers’ only run off him was unearned in the fifth on a Rougned Odor groundout to score Robinson Chirinos.

With two hits, including a single to score Daniel Robertson in the ninth, Elvis Andrus has now hit safely in 41 of his 42 career games against the Indians.

ROUGH DEBUT

Right-hander Phil Klein made his major-league debut in the sixth, giving up the homer to Chisenhall, the first batter he faced. He hit Tyler Holt, balked him to second, and gave up a hit to Murphy, but escaped the inning without any more damage.

SO LONG, CESPEDES

With division rival Oakland sending Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox, Washington isn’t lamenting the Rangers now seeing less of the Cuban slugger.

“I feel like Cespedes was the most dangerous hitter they had in that lineup,” Washington said. “I do know one thing. He’s going to tear that wall apart in Boston.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: Catcher Geovany Soto began an injury rehabilitation assignment Friday for Triple-A Round Rock. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 22 after straining his right groin. Soto appeared in three games for the Rangers after being activated from a season-long DL stint on July 17 following right knee surgery.

Indians: Left fielder Chris Dickerson was out of the lineup Friday with a sore left knee. He was injured when he awkwardly attempted to catch a ball that fell for a double Thursday. While Dickerson isn’t expected to miss much time, the Indians recalled Holt from Triple-A Columbus.

UP NEXT

Rangers right-hander Miles Mikolas will make his sixth career start Saturday. He’s 1-3 with an 8.54 ERA and opponents are batting .315 against him. Left-hander T.J. House will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to make his 10th career start. House, who is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA, has already been with the Indians three times this season.

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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