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Singleton’s 3 RBIs leads Astros over Rangers 8-3

By WTOP Staff

KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — Yu Darvish dominated the Houston Astros last season.

This year has been a much different story.

Jon Singleton drove in three runs, and the Astros handled Darvish again in an 8-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night to stretch the streak against their in-state rival to seven victories in a row.

Darvish (10-7) allowed nine hits and six runs — five earned — in four-plus innings in his second-shortest start of the season. It was his second straight tough outing against the Astros after they tagged him for a season-high 10 hits with six runs in six innings on July 9.

“Our hitting coach (John Mallee), he’s done a tremendous job with getting these guys information on how we can make adjustments after a guy had success against us,” manager Bo Porter said. “And to the credit of our players, they’ve taken that information and they’ve done a good job against arguably one of the best pitchers in our league.”

Texas manager Ron Washington said the reason why Darvish struggled was simple.

“Just didn’t have any command of his fastball and couldn’t find another pitch he could go to until he went back to that fastball,” Washington said. “Just didn’t get comfortable on the mound tonight, had no rhythm. Just wasn’t his night.”

Singleton had an RBI single in Houston’s two-run first and added a two-run double as the Astros tacked on four runs in the fifth.

Houston’s Scott Feldman (6-8) allowed eight hits and three runs with six strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings.

He held the Rangers scoreless until Jim Adduci hit his first major league home run with two outs in the sixth inning. The two-run shot landed in the first row in right field to cut the lead to 6-2. Shin-Soo Choo had four hits, and his single in the ninth inning was the 1,000th hit of his career.

Matt Dominguez’s RBI single after Singleton’s double chased Darvish in the fifth. He was replaced by Nate Adcock, who was greeted by a run-scoring single by Marwin Gonzalez.

Darvish struggled with control early and walked two of the first three batters he faced, with the second walk coming on four pitches. He struck out Marc Krauss before Singleton’s RBI single made it 1-0. Dominguez followed with a single, and an error on the play by second baseman Rougned Odor allowed Chris Carter to score and push the lead to 2-0.

“We were relentless,” Singleton said. “We made him throw a lot of pitches, and when he did make mistakes we capitalized on them.”

Carter, who had three homers in the previous two games, continued his hot-hitting with two hits, including an RBI double in the eighth inning.

Houston rookie Mike Foltynewicz pitched a scoreless ninth and wowed the crowd when he threw two consecutive 100 mph fastballs to Odor.

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

Texas rookie pitcher Phil Klein struggled in his first two major league outings, giving up homers to the first batter he faced in both. In his third appearance on Saturday night he finally got on track, pitching a perfect seventh inning with one strikeout.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: OF Mike Carp left in the middle of the third inning with tightness in his left groin and is listed as day to day.

OF Alex Rios took a second straight game off after he re-aggravated a sprained right ankle on Wednesday. Manager Ron Washington said Rios will start on Sunday.

LHP Derek Holland (left knee surgery) struck out four in three scoreless innings in his third rehabilitation start at Double-A Frisco on Saturday night. Holland hasn’t played in the majors this season.

Astros: 2B Jose Altuve was out of the lineup Saturday after leaving Friday night’s game with discomfort in his neck. Altuve said that he is OK and that he expects to play on Sunday.

CF Dexter Fowler (back) made his second start of a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Manager Bo Porter said he expects Fowler to be activated next week, barring a setback.

OF Alex Presley (strained right side) took batting practice on the field on Saturday for the first time since being put on the disabled list on July 8. “For the most part I was pleased,” Presley said after batting practice. “Just a little stiff, but besides that nothing too major.”

UP NEXT

Texas right-hander Nick Martinez looks to snap a seven-game skid when he opposes Dallas Keuchel. Martinez, who hasn’t won since May 24, has gone 0-3 with a 7.29 ERA in his four starts since returning from the disabled list.

Keuchel has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last three starts.

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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