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Pitching to Ortiz goes badly for Twins _ again

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW KRAMMER
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — For the second straight night, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire watched as his plan to pitch to David Ortiz unraveled.

Ortiz went 3 for 5 with two home runs, one night after a four-hit, two-homer performance against his former team, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 9-4 on Wednesday.

Kevin Correia (1-5) lasted four innings after he allowed nine hits, five earned runs, including one of Ortiz’s home runs.

“We know how we’re supposed to pitch (Ortiz),” Gardenhire said. “When we pitch the ball where we’re supposed to, we can get him out. What did he hit coming in here? .280? People are getting him out.”

Not the Twins. Big Papi is 7 for 10 in back-to-back games. Both of Wednesday’s homers – off Correia in the third and Caleb Thielbar in the fifth – traveled more than 400 feet into the right-field upper deck at Target Field, where he’s batting .528 (28 of 53) in 13 career games.

After Correia, Minnesota’s four relievers only gave up three hits in the final five innings. Thielbar surrendered Ortiz’s second homer before Anthony Swarzak fanned him in the sixth and Michael Tonkin got him to pop out in the ninth.

“You keep throwing the ball out and over, this guy is going to kill you,” Gardenhire said. “And we actually got him out at the end . We threw a ball inside, he moved his feet, and we threw one outside that he didn’t hit.”

Ortiz’s efforts were more than enough for Felix Doubront (2-3), who allowed a run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings and retired nine straight at one point. Doubront hadn’t won since April 3 at Baltimore, his first start of the season.

Ortiz, who also doubled in the first inning, moved into sole possession of third place on Boston’s all-time homers list (384) and recorded his 43rd career multi-homer game, 41 of which have come with the Red Sox.

Even the Minnesota fans – many of whom likely remember some of the 58 homers he hit with the Twins from 1997-2002 – appreciated Ortiz’s display of power, politely standing and clapping as he rounded the bases after his second homer put Boston up 6-1 in the fifth.

Twins fans didn’t give such applause to Correia, who turned in another poor pitching performance to start off his 2014 campaign. Correia, in the second year of a two-year, $10 million deal with the Twins, has failed to match his start to last season as he’s more than doubled his ERA (6.80) from a year ago.

“Obviously there’s no excuses for how poor my numbers are right now,” Correia said. “I’ve done the opposite in year’s past, started off in one of these streaks and picked it up again.”

Trevor Plouffe hit his second homer of the year for Minnesota, a two-run shot in the ninth.

Joe Mauer’s sacrifice fly in the third scored Eduardo Escobar. Minnesota added an unearned run in the eighth after a throwing error by Burke Badenhop from the mound allowed Chris Parmelee to reach third. He eventually scored on Eduardo Nunez’s RBI single.

Grady Sizemore had two hits and a pair of RBIs; Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks each drove in a run for Boston. A.J. Pierzynski added a two-run double in the ninth.

NOTES: Ortiz’s 442 homers moved him into a tie with Dave Kingman for 39th place on baseball’s all-time home run list. . The Twins reinstated OF Oswaldo Arcia from the 15-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester. Arcia missed 33 games with a right wrist strain before playing a 12-game rehab assignment in Rochester. … Friday will be a big day for injured Twins players in Rochester. Manager Ron Gardenhire said OF Josh Willingham (broken wrist) will start a rehab assignment, and RHP Mike Pelfrey (groin) will start on Friday for the Red Wings. . The teams will play the rubber third game of their series Thursday when Clay Buchholz (2-3) — who is 3-1 in seven career starts against Minnesota — takes the mound for Boston. The Twins’ Phil Hughes (4-1) will try for his fifth straight win.

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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