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Phillies finish poor homestand with loss to Mets

By WTOP Staff

ROB MAADDI
AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Maybe hitting the road will help the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wilmer Flores hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs, Bartolo Colon threw seven-plus sharp innings and the New York Mets beat the floundering Phillies 11-2 Monday night in a makeup from an April rainout.

After playing 39 innings in the three previous games, the teams finally didn’t go extras. The Mets took four of five from the Phillies and are 9-1 in Citizens Bank Park, dating to last season.

“Tough series, grueling games, long games,” manager Ryne Sandberg said. “We had our chances. We came up short on offensive side.”

The last-place Phillies went 4-7 on a season-long 11-game homestand and are 12-19 in Philadelphia. They’re a season-worst seven games under .500 and barely resemble the team that won five consecutive NL East titles from 2007-11.

“We didn’t play that well this homestand,” Chase Utley said. “Nothing we can do about it now. We have to go on the road and win games.”

Despite their struggles, the Phillies are only 6½ games behind Atlanta in the NL East.

“We’ve shown better baseball before this series. We’ll continue to work at it,” Sandberg said.

Roberto Hernandez (2-3) failed to pitch six innings for the sixth time in 10 starts. He allowed five runs — four earned — and five hits in 5 1-3 innings.

“Hernandez had good stuff,” Sandberg said. “Lack of run support. Lack of sound, fundamental baseball.”

Colon (5-5) allowed two runs and six hits to win his third straight decision. The 41-year-old righty has a 1.61 ERA in his last three outings.

Bobby Abreu and Lucas Duda hit consecutive doubles in the second to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

The Mets chased Hernandez in the sixth. Matt den Dekker and Daniel Murphy hit consecutive singles to start the inning. David Wright drove them both in with a shot off the wall in center. After a one-out walk to Abreu, Hernandez was replaced by Mario Hollands.

Duda hit a grounder to second base that should’ve been an inning-ending double play, but Chase Utley booted it for an error. Flores then looped a two-run double down the right-field line for a 5-0 lead.

The Mets blew it open with six runs in the ninth off Jake Diekman and Phillippe Aumont capped by Flores’ hitting a grand slam, his second career homer in 145 at-bats.

Den Dekker, called up from Triple-A Las Vegas a day after being sent down, robbed Ryan Howard of his third homer in three games. He jumped above the short wall in center and grabbed Howard’s drive in the second.

Den Dekker saved another run in the third when he threw out Reid Brignac trying to score from second on Ben Revere’s single. Brignac hadn’t even reached third base when den Dekker fielded the ball in medium center, but third-base coach Pete Mackanin inexplicably waived him home.

Howard’s RBI groundout in the sixth ended Colon’s scoreless innings streak at 16 1-3. Revere scored on Jeurys Familia’s wild pitch in the eighth to cut it to 5-2.

NOTES: Phillies ace Cliff Lee, out with an elbow strain, hopes to start a throwing program during Philadelphia’s upcoming road trip. … The Phillies start a three-game series at Washington on Tuesday. David Buchanan (1-1, 3.86) makes his third career start filling in for Lee. Jordan Zimmermann (3-2, 4.07) goes for the Nationals.

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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