Skip to main content

Rays shut out for 17th time, 1-0 in 10 by Toronto

By WTOP Staff

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays were shut out for the 17th time, and to manager Joe Maddon, the latest one felt like all the others.

“In a microcosm kind of a way, that’s 2014 right there,” Maddon said after Thursday night’s 1-0 loss in 10 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Pinch-hitter Colby Rasmus opened the 10th with a home run off Steve Geltz (0-1) and the Blue Jays won their fifth straight, earning their first three-game sweep at Tampa Bay.

The Rays had runners at first and third with none out, and the bases loaded with one out, in the ninth. But reliever Brett Cecil (2-3) worked out of the jam by striking out Brandon Guyer, Logan Forsythe and Sean Rodriguez around an intentional walk to Evan Longoria.

“To not even make contact in that moment, that’s the tough part about it,” Maddon said. “Those guys are in there to hit lefties and we didn’t even move the ball. But that’s been a problem for us all year. That’s nothing new. We’ve had a hard time with the bases loaded.”

Casey Janssen got three outs for his 21st save.

Toronto won the first two games of the series to stop a streak of 22 consecutive winless road series (including one in Orlando) against the Rays, dating to April 6-8, 2007.

Both starters, Toronto’s Mark Buehrle and the Rays’ Jake Odorizzi, had impressive outings.

Buehrle, who is 1-8 in 16 starts since June 7, allowed five hits, one walk and struck out four over eight innings. He started the season 10-1 over his first 12 starts.

Odorizzi, coming off a 7-0 win Saturday over Boston in which he allowed just one hit, gave up three hits, walked none and had three strikeouts in 7 1-3 innings.

“I felt tike I was in control. I never felt like I was in a jam,” Odorizzi said. “I had a guy on second base but I still felt totally in control of the game. I was just going about my business.”

Anthony Gose had a one-out double in the sixth, but Odorizzi got a liner from Jose Reyes and struck out Melky Cabrera.

The Rays joined the 2003 Detroit Tigers and the 1998 Devil Rays as the only American League teams to be shut out this many times in one season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Chad Jenkins is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after breaking his pitching hand while shagging balls in batting practice — making him the second Toronto pitcher in two days to get hurt during pregame warmups. RHP R.A. Dickey threw 62 pitches Thursday during his regular bullpen session between starts, one day after he was struck in the head by Evan Longoria’s drive while standing in the left-field corner during BP.

Rays: CF Desmond Jennings is frustrated by lingering left knee soreness, but hopes to play before the season ends. He has missed seven straight games.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Drew Hutchison (9-11) and Red Sox RHP Allen Webster (3-3) are the scheduled starters Friday night at Fenway Park.

Rays: RHP Alex Cobb (9-7) is set to face Baltimore LHP Wei-Yin Chen (14-4) on Friday night.

NOT SO SWEET HOME

The Rays 41st loss at home assured them of finishing the season with a losing record at home. They are the only team in the majors with a losing record at home (31-41) and a winning record on the road (36-33).

Pinch-hitter Colby Rasmus homered in the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays earned their first three-game sweep at Tampa Bay by beating the Rays 1-0 on Thursday night.

Rasmus led off with a long drive into the right-field seats against Steve Geltz (0-1).

Tampa Bay had runners at first and third with none out, and the bases loaded with one out, in the ninth. But reliever Brett Cecil (2-3) worked out of the jam by striking out three in the inning. Casey Janssen got three outs for his 21st save.

Toronto won the first two games of the series to stop a streak of 22 consecutive winless road series (including one in Orlando) against the Rays dating to April 6-8, 2007.

Both starters, Toronto’s Mark Buehrle and the Rays’ Jake Odorizzi, had impressive outings.

Buehrle, who is 1-8 in 16 starts since June 7, allowed five hits, one walk and struck out four over eight innings. He started the season by winning 10 of 11 decisions over his first 12 starts.

Odorizzi, coming off a 7-0 win Saturday over Boston in which he allowed just one hit, gave up three hits, walked none and had three strikeouts in 7 1-3 innings.

Anthony Gose had a one-out double in the sixth, but Odorizzi got a liner from Jose Reyes and struck out Melky Cabrera.

Buehrle retired Ryan Hanigan on a foul pop fly with two runners on to end the second.

The Rays have been shut out 17 times this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Chad Jenkins is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after breaking his pitching hand while shagging balls in batting practice — making him the second Toronto pitcher in two days to get hurt during pregame warmups. RHP R.A. Dickey threw 62 pitches Thursday during his regular bullpen session between starts, one day after he was struck in the head by Evan Longoria’s drive while standing in the left-field corner during BP.

Rays: CF Desmond Jennings is frustrated by lingering left knee soreness, but hopes to play before the season ends. He has missed seven straight games.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Drew Hutchison (9-11) and Red Sox RHP Allen Webster (3-3) are the scheduled starters Friday night at Fenway Park.

Rays: RHP Alex Cobb (9-7) is set to face Baltimore LHP Wei-Yin Chen (14-4) on Friday night.

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote