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First-place Dodgers complete sweep of Giants

By WTOP Staff

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Baseball Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Manager Don Mattingly hardly considers a late-July sweep in San Francisco a turning point to put his Dodgers in the driver’s seat atop the NL West.

Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. The Dodgers found it in the ballpark of their biggest rival, and left the Bay Area in first place following an emphatic three-game swing.

Carl Crawford hit an RBI triple to back Hyun-Jin Ryu’s third straight victory, and division-leading Los Angeles beat the Giants 4-3 Sunday night to establish some momentum behind their pitching and offense.

“You make enough of a statement by winning three games,” Mattingly said. “Obviously it’s something. That’s all it is at that point because you have a lot of baseball to play. We’re going to see these guys again. They’re not going anywhere.”

Matt Kemp singled twice and the Dodgers leave the Bay Area with a 1 1/2-game division lead after outscoring the Giants 17-4.

“Getting offense for three days is kind of like when you don’t get it for three days, you don’t really know where it’s going to continue to go,” Mattingly said. “It’s a chance to build momentum, it’s a confidence builder for your club to be able to come into a tough environment and play well.”

Ryu (12-5) moved within two wins of his rookie total last year and improved to 4-1 in five outings at AT&T Park, where in one dominant weekend the Dodgers made quite a statement to take over the NL West’s top spot.

“It was great. To come out of here with a 1 1/2-game lead, especially coming into it with a 1 1/2-game deficit, obviously best-case scenario,” first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. “After the first leg of this road trip where we lost both series, this kind of made everything great, winning a series, winning a road trip and going home on a great note.”

In his Giants debut, Jake Peavy threw a pair of wild pitches in the fifth as the Dodgers went ahead on Hanley Ramirez’s RBI single ahead of Crawford’s triple to the corner in deep right field.

San Francisco suffered its first three-game sweep in the rivalry since June 24-26, 2013, at Dodger Stadium. The last Dodgers sweep at AT&T Park came July 27-29, 2012.

Buster Posey hit a solo home run in the fifth for San Francisco’s first extra-base hit since Hunter Pence doubled in the ninth inning Wednesday at Philadelphia — the Giants’ first three-game stretch without an extra-base hit since May 30-June 1, 2002.

Ryu struck out seven in six innings and improved to 8-2 in 11 road starts. Kenley Jansen followed scoreless innings by J.P. Howell and Brian Wilson for his 30th save.

Peavy (0-1) pitched a day after being traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Giants for a pair of minor league pitchers, reuniting him with former manager Bruce Bochy. Peavy pitched for Bochy and the Padres in the playoffs in 2005-06.

Bochy stuck with the right-hander to get through the sixth after he allowed a leadoff walk to Juan Uribe. Peavy drew regular roars from a lively sellout crowd at AT&T Park as fans found plenty to cheer for after a frustrating few days.

He allowed six hits and four runs — three earned — struck out five and walked two in six innings.

Peavy dropped to 14-3 with a 2.28 ERA in 26 starts against Los Angeles, including a three-hitter last Aug. 25 at Dodger Stadium in which he struck out five and walked one.

Second baseman Dan Uggla committed two errors, including one that helped tie it early after he scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the third. Uggla’s fielding error leading off the top of the fourth allowed Ramirez to reach and Uribe later singled in the tying run.

The Giants lost for the 19th time in their last 25 home games.

“It’s going to be important to put it behind us,” Bochy said. “We have to regroup.”

NOTES: With speculation that Kemp might be traded, Mattingly says the OF has no issue playing RF and “This combination of guys, this is what we like.” … Of the Dodgers’ Triple-A benches-clearing brawl with the Diamondbacks’ affiliate on Saturday, Mattingly said the No. 1 thing is “nobody’s hurt.”… Former Giants closer Wilson drew cheers during pregame warmups, then boos for the beard when the Los Angeles reliever jogged out for the bottom of the eighth. … Madison Bumgarner (12-7) pitches when San Francisco begins a three-game series at home with Pittsburgh on Monday night while the Dodgers have an off day before starting an eight-game homestand Tuesday against Atlanta.

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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