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Twins hurt by former player in loss to Royals

By WTOP Staff

JESS MYERS
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Twins manager Ron Gardenhire saw that Josh Willingham was hitting the ball better a week ago. On Friday night, that was a bad thing for Minnesota.

Traded to the Royals on Monday, Willingham returned to Target Field and hit a bases-clearing double in Kansas City’s five-run fourth inning, and the surging Royals hung on to beat the Twins 6-5.

“He hasn’t been gone very long. It’s only been a couple of days for us,” Gardenhire said. “We said he was starting to swing better. He had a good series out there where he had a big home run out in Oakland for us and we had seem some signs of him coming along and putting some better swings on the ball. We knew that coming in. We just made a bad pitch to him and Josh can do that. He can drill it.”

After Minnesota took a 2-0 lead in the third, the first six Royals hitters reached base to start the fourth off Ricky Nolasco (5-8). Willingham drilled a bases-loaded double down the left-field line to make it 3-2. Two batters later, Alcides Escobar tripled to score Willingham and Mike Moustakas.

“I knew it was going to be a little strange. Once the game started, everything was fine,” said Willingham, who got his third hit in a Royals uniform.

Danny Dufy (8-10) allowed three runs in 5 1-3 innings to win his third straight start. Kansas City has won 11 of 12 and sits atop the AL Central.

Oswaldo Arcia hit an RBI double in the ninth and pinch-hitter Chris Parmelee drove him in with a groundout to cut the Royals’ lead to 6-5. But Greg Holland struck out Danny Santana for his 37th save in 39 chances.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t make up enough ground. I don’t think we did too well with runners in scoring position,” Gardenhire added. “Although we scored some runs we still left some people out there.”

Nolasco made his first start since going on the disabled list July 8 with an elbow strain. He struck out three and looked sharp in every inning besides the fourth. The right-hander signed a four-year, $49 million free agent contract in the offseason, the richest free agent deal in Twins’ history, and now has a 5.99 ERA.

“I made some good pitches. A little unfortunate some balls found a few holes,” Nolasco said. “The main one was the one by Willingham. I’d like to have that one back. But I made a bad pitch there, hung it. That’s what good hitters do there; they’ll make you pay in those type of RBI situations.”

STREAKING:

Joe Mauer’s eighth-inning double extended his hitting streak to 16 games, equaling a career high set in 2008. Mauer, who spent July on the disabled list with an oblique strain, last went hitless on June 18.

THE BODY GETS BOOED

Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura was booed loudly when he and his wife were shown on the Target Field big screen for “kiss cam.” Ventura has been in the news recently after winning a $1.8 million defamation lawsuit against the estate of “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle. It’s probably the loudest Ventura has been booed since he wore a feather boa and wrestled as a bad guy at the old St. Paul Civic Center in the glory days of the AWA.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Twins: Top prospect Byron Buxton will head to the Twins’ facility in Fort Myers to rehab from a concussion suffered during an outfield collision while playing for Double-A New Britain on Wednesday night.

Royals: After a Thursday X-ray showed he’s not ready to return, 1B Eric Hosmer won’t have his fractured right hand examined again until after the Royals’ current 10-game road trip ends. Once cleared, Hosmer likely would need a week or two of work before rejoining the team.

UP NEXT:

Yordano Ventura (9-8, 3.45 ERA) pitches for the Royals against Minnesota’s Phil Hughes (12-8, 3.88) in the second game of this four-game series. . The Royals play 32 of their final 42 games against teams currently at or below .500.

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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