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Brown powers Phillies over Diamondbacks 9-5

By WTOP Staff

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Domonic Brown and the Phillies had a rare power surge.

Brown homered, doubled and drove in three runs to lead Philadelphia to a 9-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Grady Sizemore had three hits, including the 1,000th of his career, with a double and an RBI for the Phillies, who entered 12th in the NL in runs. They scored at least nine for the eighth time this season and improved to 10-0 when reaching eight runs.

“Real good swings of the bats, extra-base hits, bases on balls,” manager Ryne Sandberg said. “It was a good night on the offensive side for the whole lineup.”

Kyle Kendrick (5-10) allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. It was the first win for Kendrick in his eighth career start against the Diamondbacks, giving the right-hander a victory over every NL team.

Alfredo Marte hit his first career homer, a grand slam, and Aaron Hill had three hits for Arizona.

Wade Miley (6-7) struggled for the first time this month, giving up six runs — five earned — and eight hits in five innings.

“I felt good. I just didn’t have it tonight,” Miley said.

Sandberg benched slumping slugger Ryan Howard for the third straight day in favor of Darin Ruf, who went 1 for 2 with an RBI.

“He swung the bat aggressively, had some good at-bats,” Sandberg said.

The manager was noncommittal on whether Howard would return to the lineup Saturday.

Miley won his previous three outings while striking out 19 in 20 2-3 innings with a 1.74 ERA. But he was off from the jump against the Phillies, and the five earned runs were the second-most he’s allowed in a start this season.

“He wasn’t very good,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. “He didn’t have a good feel with his pitches.”

The left-hander labored through the first inning when Philadelphia sent eight batters to the plate while taking a 2-0 lead on a bases-loaded walk to Carlos Ruiz and Brown’s groundout.

It was 3-0 after the second thanks to Chase Utley’s RBI single, and Philadelphia tacked on two more in the third on Ruf’s sacrifice fly and Cody Asche’s RBI single.

“The game kind of got away in the third inning,” Miley said. “That was on me.”

The Phillies looked in complete control when Ruf doubled and scored in the fifth. But Sandberg elected to lift Kendrick with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, and it backfired.

Marte cleared the wall in left, his first homer in 68 career at-bats, against left-hander Antonio Bastardo to make it 6-4.

“I wasn’t looking to hit a homer, (but) it was a really good feeling for me,” Marte said through a translator. “I’m really happy just to get the opportunity.”

Bastardo came back out for the seventh but was lifted after consecutive singles with none out. Justin De Fratus then struck out three batters, leaving the bases loaded when he fanned Mark Trumbo for the final out.

“That was a game-saving moment right there,” Sandberg said.

Trumbo, Arizona’s big offseason acquisition who has battled injuries and offensive struggles, yanked his helmet off and threw his bat down in disgust after swinging through a 93 mph fastball.

Trumbo, who entered hitting .191, went 0 for 4 to extend his slump to 3 for 24.

Brown gave Philadelphia some cushion in the seventh when his two-run shot to right off right-hander Evan Marshall made it 8-4.

It was just the seventh homer of the season and second since June 14 for Brown, who hit 27 homers in an All-Star season in 2013 but has seen a huge drop in production this year.

He’s batting .291 in his last six games, though, and Sandberg hopes the homer will help.

“He looks more relaxed, and a good swing of the bat with the home run should really build some confidence with tonight’s game,” Sandberg said.

NOTES: It took 35 seconds for umpires to confirm that Tuffy Gosewisch was safe at first on an infield hit in the ninth inning. … A female fan sitting 10 rows behind the Phillies dugout was hit in the head by a foul ball off the bat of Marte in the eighth inning. After treating her for several minutes, medical personnel lifted her to the concourse on a wheelchair. … Among the features on Christmas night in July, Santa Claus danced with the Phillie Phanatic between innings on the field. … Arizona dropped to 3-14 in its last 17 games at Philadelphia. … The series continues Saturday night with Diamondbacks righty Josh Collmenter (8-5, 3.64 ERA) facing Phillies lefty Cliff Lee (4-5, 3.67).

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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