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Wood gives up 12 hits, Braves fall to Padres, 5-2

By WTOP Staff

ATLANTA (AP) — Alex Wood’s shoulders slumped as he turned to watch Tommy Medica’s grounder skip into center field to open the fifth inning.

It was that kind of night for Atlanta’s left-hander: A lot of ground balls. A lot of hits.

Wood (7-8) gave up a career-high 12 hits, and the Braves lost ground in the NL East with their 5-2 loss to rookie Jesse Hahn and the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

The Braves fell 2 1-2 games behind first-place Washington.

Wood allowed five runs, four earned, in five innings. Of his 12 hits allowed, three were infield singles. Other hits found holes through the infield defense.

“I think it was a combination of things,” Wood said of his ugly statistical line. “Obviously, there a lot of ground balls that got through.

“I don’t think I adjusted quickly enough and changed my game plan we had going in. That’s part of the reason some of those ground balls got through.”

San Diego had only one extra-base hit, a double by Carlos Quentin to lead off the third.

“I’ve never seen so many ground balls go through the infield,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “(Wood) kept getting ground balls, and they just kept getting through the infield.”

The Braves couldn’t rattle Hahn in his first visit to Turner Field.

Hahn (6-2) allowed only three hits and one run in six innings to remain unbeaten in four road starts.

“It tells me a little bit about the heartbeat,” Padres manager Bud Black said of Hahn. “This guy is pretty calm for a young player. He’s got some confidence in his game, which we came to know in spring training. I like the fact again he’s got a pretty even keel about his personality during the course of the game.”

The Padres continued their recent offensive recovery with 13 hits to beat Wood. They have had 27 hits in their last two games, their best two-game total of the season, and have scored 26 runs in their last three games.

The Padres still rank last in the majors with their .218 batting average and 317 runs.

Tommy Medica drove in a run and had a career-high four hits. Chris Denorfia had three hits and an RBI for San Diego.

“They didn’t try to hit it out of the park,” Wood said of the Padres’ hitters. “They just took their singles, and it worked.”

The Padres, who were 5-1 against the Braves in 2013, have won five of their last six series against Atlanta since early 2011.

The Braves scored one run in the eighth but left the bases loaded. Kevin Quackenbush gave up a two-out single to Freddie Freeman before walking Justin Upton.

Joaquin Benoit walked two batters, including a bases-loaded pass to Evan Gattis, to force in a run. Chris Johnson’s fly ball to shallow center field ended the inning.

Benoit had two strikeouts in a perfect ninth to earn his second save.

San Diego led 5-0 before Freeman hit a one-out triple off the wall in center field and scored on Upton’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Black unsuccessfully challenged a call that Medica was forced out at second base in the fifth. Braves third baseman Chris Johnson bobbled Jeff Francoeur’s grounder before throwing to Tommy La Stella at second. The call stood following a review that lasted 3 minutes, 1 second.

Francoeur, who played with his hometown Braves from 2005-09, received an ovation before his first at-bat. He was 0 for 3 with a walk.

NOTES: Braves RHP Anthony Vavaro was activated from paternity leave, and RHP Gus Schlosser was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. … Black said San Diego 1B Yonder Alonso (wrist) will be activated from the 15-day DL and is tentatively set to start on Saturday. OF Jake Goebbert will be optioned to Triple-A El Paso. … Braves LHP Jonny Venters, trying to come back from a second Tommy John operation in 2013, played catch from 100 feet and could throw in the bullpen next week. … The series continues Saturday night when Atlanta’s Julio Teheran will try for his 10th win against Padres rookie Ordisamer Despaigne, who has a 1.31 ERA in five 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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