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Doolittle blows save, A’s lose 6-1 to Rangers

By WTOP Staff

ANTONIO GONZALEZ
AP Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sean Doolittle sat in a chair staring at his locker inside a quiet clubhouse before searching for the words to explain the Oakland Athletics’ latest meltdown.

Doolittle allowed a three-run homer to J.P. Arencibia during a six-run ninth inning, and the A’s lost 6-1 to the last-place Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

“Right now, it really hurts,” Doolittle said. “But it doesn’t do you any good, it doesn’t do your team any good, to sit and mope and sulk and feel sorry for yourself.”

The bearded closer’s fourth blown save in 25 chances negated a stellar start by Jeff Samardzija and ended Oakland’s two-year reign as AL West champions. The Los Angeles Angels clinched the division with a 5-0 win over Seattle and the loss by the A’s.

Oakland dropped into a tie with Kansas City for the AL’s top wild card. Seattle is two games behind the A’s and Royals for the second and final berth.

“It’s going to be a turning point one way or another,” Doolittle said. “After the season’s over, are we going to look back and point to tonight and be like, ‘This is the game where finally the wheels came off for good,’ or are we going to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and talk about how resilient we are as a team and how we were able to overcome a game like this and still get it done?”

The answer remains to be seen.

Sam Fuld’s single in the fifth drove in Oakland’s only run. The A’s stranded 10 runners and loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth only to come up empty.

Robbie Ross (3-6) got the final five outs for Texas, which has won five in a row.

“It’s beautiful. I love it,” interim Rangers manager Tim Bogar said.

Samardzija outpitched Derek Holland to put the A’s in position to start turning around their late-season slide. Samardzija struck out 10 and allowed just four hits in eight innings.

As well as he pitched, though, it wasn’t enough for the A’s to overcome another underwhelming performance at the plate and a late flop by the bullpen.

Elvis Andrus singled and scored on Rougned Odor’s double off Doolittle (1-4) to start the Rangers’ rally. After Adrian Beltre was intentionally walked, Arencibia’s 10th home run silenced the crowd of 17,530 at the Coliseum.

Doolittle was charged with five of the six runs. Oakland is 5-14 since Aug. 28.

“You look at our numbers and you say, how can this happen for this long a period based on what we did in the first half?” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

Holland continued his remarkable return for the Rangers after missing five months following offseason knee surgery. He gave up one run, four hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings.

In four starts this season, Holland has allowed just three runs. His latest outing still wasn’t enough to outlast Samardzija, who provided a much-needed performance on the mound after Oakland’s sloppy 6-3 loss to Texas on Tuesday night.

Samardzija stranded a runner on second in the first, third and fifth — the only threats he faced all night. He has allowed no runs in five of his starts with the Cubs and A’s this season — but hasn’t won any of them.

“No time to pout. No time to feel sorry for yourself,” Samardzija said. “That’s just the way it goes.”

INJURED UMPIRE

Plate umpire Kerwin Danley took a foul tip from A’s second baseman Nick Punto off his facemask in the fifth. Danley was replaced by second base umpire Mark Ripperger to start the sixth, looking woozy as he staggered off the field.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: OF Shin-Soo Choo, already out for the season with an elbow injury, had surgery on his left ankle to remove torn cartilage and a small bone spur. He is in a walking boot and should start a running program in six to eight weeks.

Athletics: C Stephen Vogt (sprained left ankle) was intentionally walked as a pinch hitter in the eighth. He hadn’t played since Sept. 3.

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Nick Martinez (3-11, 4.93 ERA) starts Thursday’s series finale. He’s 2-5 with a 4.72 ERA in his last 10 starts.

Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray (13-8, 3.18) takes the mound for Oakland. He has allowed four earned runs in 15 innings over his last two starts.

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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