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Smolinski’s 1st homer leads Rangers past A’s 6-3

By WTOP Staff

JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jake Smolinski needed little time to get back into the swing of things after missing nearly two months with a broken left foot.

Smolinski hit his first career homer, and the Texas Rangers took advantage of sloppy play from Oakland to beat the Athletics 6-3 Tuesday night for their first four-game winning streak since April.

Smolinski provided the big offensive blow in the fourth inning with a two-run shot off Scott Kazmir (14-9) 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,” he said. “It was kind of cool. It was nice to get that first hit back out of the way.”

After strengthening their AL wild-card lead by beating Seattle in the final two games of a weekend series, the A’s looked sloppy in the opener of a nine-game homestand and failed in their attempt to win three straight for the first time since Aug. 7-9.

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.

“He threw the ball well,” interim manager Tom Bogar said. “It has not been a great year, but these games mean a lot for these guys. They’re having fun.”

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

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.

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.

SHUTDOWN INNING

Tepesch was frustrated after allowing two runs in the bottom of the fourth to almost squander the lead he was given in the top half. But he came through in his second chance at a shutdown inning, retiring three straight in the fifth after the Rangers added three more runs.

“It was important for me to go back out and get a chance to put up another zero,” he said. “It’s a matter of letting go of what happened, refocusing and regrouping and knowing what I had to do to be successful.”

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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