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Rays beaten by Jeter and Yankees 3-2

By WTOP Staff

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon takes no solace in losing when it’s Derek Jeter getting the key hit against his team.

Jeter had a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees ended a five-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the Rays on Saturday.

“Honestly, no,” Maddon said. “You know that he’s going to compete.”

The announced crowd of 31,042 at Tropicana Field was the Rays’ second home sellout this season. Tampa Bay entered with the major league’s lowest average home attendance at 17,848.

New York manager Joe Girardi thought it was the loudest he’s heard an opposing stadium’s crowd cheering for the Yankees’ captain, who is retiring after the season.

“There are a lot of Yankees’ fans down here because spring training is here,” Jeter said. “Seemed like quite a few were in the stands, so it’s almost like a home game.”

Brett Gardner opened the ninth with an infield single off Jake McGee (3-1) and advanced to second on a throwing error by second baseman Logan Forsythe. After failing to lay down a sacrifice bunt, Jeter put New York ahead with a single to right-center on a 2-2 pitch.

“I just rushed it,” said Forsythe, who played Gardner’s grounder after it was deflected by McGee. “You just have to stay within yourself and I got away from that and it cost us.”

The Rays extended their club-record streak of allowing three runs or fewer to 12 consecutive games, but have gone just 7-5 over the stretch.

The Yankees took a lead in the second when Chase Headley drew a two-out walk on a full-count pitch and Martin Prado homered on an 0-2 offering from Drew Smyly, making his first home start since being acquired in a trade that sent ace David Price to Detroit on July 31.

Smyly gave up two runs and four hits over seven innings.

Price is scheduled to pitch against Tampa Bay for the first time Thursday in the finale of a three-game series in Florida.

After Yunel Escobar had a sixth-inning RBI single, Tampa Bay tied it at 2 on Ben Zobrist’s run-scoring grounder in the seventh.

Tampa Bay had become the fourth team ever in the majors to get back to .500 after being at least 18 games under the break-even point with a 5-0 victory Friday night over the Yankees that gave them a 61-61 record.

Dellin Betances (5-0) worked a perfect eighth before David Robertson got three outs for his 32nd save. Rookie Shane Greene allowed two runs, seven hits and struck out a career-high 10 in six-plus innings.

TRAINERS’S ROOM

Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (right elbow) threw 25 pitches during his first bullpen session since going on the DL July 9. C Brian McCann (concussion) might return Sunday.

Rays: OF David DeJesus (left hand) went 0 for 1 with a walk in his first Gulf Coast League game.

ON THE MOVE

Tampa Bay recalled INF Vince Belnome from Triple-A Durham and optioned reliever Brandon Gomes to the International League club. Belnome went 0 for 2 with a walk.

JETER METER

Jeter has 20 career game-winning RBI hits against the Rays, which is second most. David Ortiz tops the list with 26.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Hiroki Kuroda (7-8), 0-3 in his last four starts against Tampa Bay, and Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-1) are Sunday’s scheduled starters.

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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