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First-place Angels lose to Astros 4-1

By WTOP Staff

KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels followed four straight wins against one of the best teams in the American League by getting swept by one of the worst.

Chris Carter homered twice and drove in three runs, Collin McHugh pitched into the eighth inning and the Houston Astros beat the Angels 4-1 on Wednesday night.

The first-place Angels dropped both games in the series after sweeping the A’s in a four-game set before arriving in Houston.

“Luckily, the A’s lost a couple as well, so it doesn’t hurt us too bad, but it would have been nice to get a couple of wins here and extend the lead a little bit,” Angels starter Jered Weaver said. “Just have to keep trucking on and get another winning streak going.”

Los Angeles has the best record in the majors at 83-55 and is 4 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the AL West.

“We need to move on,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “We need to catch our breath a little bit. Our team’s been grinding it out, done a lot of terrific things in the past two months, so we have to catch our breath and … get some of these games on our terms.”

It was the second straight win for the Astros since manager Bo Porter was fired on Monday and replaced by interim manager Tom Lawless.

Carter has 35 home runs, and his seven multihomer games this season are a franchise record. It’s the most homers by an Astros player since Lance Berkman hit 45 in 2006.

The designated hitter, who also singled, leads the majors with 22 homers and 52 RBIs since July 1.

Carter put Houston on top 1-0 with his homer to the Crawford Boxes in left field in the second inning. His two-run, opposite-field shot made it 4-1 in the eighth.

McHugh (8-9) yielded four hits and a run with eight strikeouts in 7 2-3 innings for his fourth straight win, extending a career high. Chad Qualls pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.

Weaver (15-8) allowed five hits and two runs in six-plus innings for just his second loss since June 16.

“It would’ve been nice to finish that seventh inning, but I was losing a little bit of command on the fastball,” Weaver said.

Dexter Fowler walked with one out in the fourth and stole second with two outs. Jason Castro’s single scored Fowler to put Houston up 2-1.

The Angels tied it at 1 in the third when Efren Navarro scored on an error by shortstop Jonathan Villar that allowed Mike Trout to reach. The play pushed Trout’s RBI total to a career-high 98.

McHugh retired the next 10 batters, with the next hit by Los Angeles coming on a single by Josh Hamilton with two outs in the sixth. Howie Kendrick grounded out to end the inning.

That was the first of six in a row set down by McHugh before he was replaced by Jose Veras.

Jose Altuve, who had four hits in each of his previous two games, doubled in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. He has a major league-leading 194 hits this season.

WHAT A MONTH

Los Angeles right-hander Matt Shoemaker was selected American League pitcher and rookie of the month for August. He’s the ninth player to win both honors in the same month and the first Angels player to do it since Trout received both awards in July 2012.

Shoemaker is 14-4 with a 3.14 ERA this season and was 6-1 with a 1.31 ERA last month. He has pitched 23 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings, second in franchise history for a rookie behind Bob Lee’s 27 straight in 1964.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Scioscia said reliever Joe Thatcher (sprained left ankle) has been throwing off a mound and could pitch a simulated game in the next few days.

UP NEXT

The Angels open a four-game series at Minnesota, with Hector Santiago opposing Kyle Gibson. … The Astros are off Thursday before starting a three-game series in Oakland.

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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