Skip to main content

Kazmir, sloppy Athletics lose 6-3 to Rangers

By WTOP Staff

JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Just when it looked like the Oakland Athletics had turned things around with consecutive wins in Seattle, they put together one of their sloppiest performances of the year.

Scott Kazmir allowed a two-run homer to Jake Smolinski, and shortstop Jed Lowrie made an error that led to a pair of unearned runs as the A’s lost 6-3 to the last-place Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

“I feel like that was a game that just doesn’t happen in September in a race to make the playoffs,” Kazmir said. “You just don’t play like that. … To be honest, I’ve never seen anything like that before at a major league level.”

Oakland made two errors, threw two wild pitches and got another rough outing from Kazmir (14-9) to lose for the 15th time in 22 games. The A’s remained one game ahead of Kansas City for the top wild-card spot. The Mariners are a game behind the Royals for the second berth.

“We just didn’t look like we were ready to play tonight for whatever reason defensively,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We got beat all the way around, unfortunately. I thought we’d come ready to play.”

Nick Tepesch (5-10) allowed three runs in six innings to beat the A’s for the first time in six career appearances. The Rangers have won four straight for the first time since April.

Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances.

Smolinski provided the big offensive blow when he hit his first career home run in his first game against live pitching since breaking a bone in his left foot while fouling off a pitch on July 21.

“That’s one I won’t forget,” Smolinski said. “It was kind of cool. It was nice to get that first hit back out of the way.”

The Rangers added another run in the fourth when Rougned Odor reached on a grounder to Lowrie and scored from first on Daniel Robertson’s single to right. Josh Reddick threw Robertson out at second, but Odor never stopped running on the play and scored.

After the A’s scored twice in the bottom half, the Rangers broke it open with three runs in the fifth after Lowrie’s miscue. Lowrie threw high to first on Ryan Rua’s grounder for a two-base error that allowed Adrian Beltre to score. Robinson Chirinos and Odor added RBI singles to make it 6-2.

Kazmir allowed six runs — four earned — in 4 1-3 innings and is 0-4 with an 8.22 ERA over his past five starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: OF Michael Choice will be sidelined six to eight weeks with a strained left hamstring, and GM Jon Daniels said it was unlikely Choice will play winter ball as originally planned. … OF Shin-Soo Choo, already out for the season with an elbow injury, will have surgery on his left ankle that shouldn’t impact his availability for next season.

Athletics: C Stephen Vogt (sprained left ankle) hit before the game and could be available as a pinch-hitter Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Derek Holland (1-0) will make his fourth start of the season. The Rangers said he is the first pitcher since at least 1900 to pitch at least seven innings, allow one or fewer runs and no walks in his first three starts of a season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Athletics: RHP Jeff Samardzija (6-12) will face the Rangers for the first time in his career.

MAULING MOSS

After going 39 straight games without a homer, Brandon Moss connected for the second straight game for Oakland in one of the few bright spots of the day.

“I’ve been feeling a lot better lately,” Moss said. “It’s just a matter of swinging at good pitches and not missing good pitches.”

STAT OF THE DAY

Kazmir retired all three batters he faced with a runner in scoring position and two outs. For the season, Kazmir has allowed just four hits in 56 at-bats (.071 batting average) in those situations. That would beat Jack Morris’ .082 batting average against in 1987 as the best mark in the majors since at least 1974.

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

Where to take the family while they visit DC

Government shuts down after last-minute talks and Senate vote fail

How the Tax Cut Affects Investors