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Byrd, Howard lead Phillies to 7-2 win over Mets

By WTOP Staff

SCOTT ORGERA
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Marlon Byrd enjoyed his birthday so much that he wants to celebrate it again.

Byrd homered against his former team on the day he turned 37, Ryan Howard drove in three runs and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Mets 7-2 Saturday night.

“I’m going to stay 36 for a while. Can I do that?” Byrd said after setting a career high with his 25th homer of the season. “Move to another country and come back with a different name.”

While many of Philadelphia’s veterans would probably love to reverse the aging process, the Phillies certainly looked young again Saturday — at least for one night.

Jerome Williams pitched into the seventh inning to win his third straight decision since joining the last-place Phillies, who won for the seventh time in nine games. They batted around in the sixth, scoring five runs off Bartolo Colon on seven hits — all singles.

“I didn’t do anything different,” Colon said through a translator. “I made the adjustments and made some good pitches, but they still put it in play.”

Ben Revere, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley singled to start the outburst, loading the bases for Howard. The big slugger lined yet another single to right field, driving in two for a 3-0 lead.

One out later, Domonic Brown and Carlos Ruiz added RBI singles to chase Colon.

Cody Asche greeted Buddy Carlyle with another run-scoring single before Philadelphia was finally retired in a half-inning that took just short of 20 minutes.

It has not been an easy couple of weeks for Colon (12-11), who left the Mets twice recently, the first time to be by his ailing mother’s side and the second to attend her funeral in the Dominican Republic.

Still the subject of trade speculation, Colon gave up Byrd’s leadoff homer into the Phillies’ bullpen in the fifth. He appeared to tire in the sixth, and lost for the first time in four starts against the Phillies this season.

“I just think we had some better looks at him,” Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. “I would imagine the guys made some adjustments from the other games that he pitched against us.”

Philadelphia banged out 12 hits to back another solid performance from Williams (3-0), who gave up two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. Facing the Mets for the first time since 2007 with Washington, the 32-year-old journeyman from Hawaii was virtually untouchable for the first six innings.

Williams, who is 5-5 overall this year, has enjoyed a resurgence since he was picked up off waivers from Texas this month. Pitching for his third team this season, the right-hander has a 2.03 ERA in four starts with the Phillies.

In fact, he hasn’t felt this good as a starter since his rookie year in 2003.

“Those first two years in San Francisco I felt like I was in a really good groove, and then after that I kind of lost myself,” Williams said. “Now I’m back to where I need to be as myself.”

Mets second baseman Dilson Herrera singled in a two-run seventh for his first major league hit. Wilmer Flores had an RBI single, but Antonio Bastardo left the bases loaded by striking out Curtis Granderson.

HIT PARADE

The Phillies’ seven hits in the sixth inning were their most in one inning since Sept. 20, 2012, when they had nine in the first inning — also at Citi Field.

MILESTONE

It was Terry Collins’ 1,500th game as a major league manager. Collins has guided the Astros, Angels and Mets to a combined 732-768 record.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: All-Star 2B Daniel Murphy (strained right calf) was wearing a walking boot on his right foot in the clubhouse before the game. Murphy was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday night, retroactive to Aug. 25.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP A.J. Burnett (7-14, 4.30 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday. He is coming off a dominant performance against first-place Washington in which he struck out 12 over seven innings and snapped his six-game losing streak. The 37-year-old Burnett recently hinted that he might retire after the season.

Mets: RHP Dillon Gee (5-6, 3.77) tries to win consecutive starts for the first time since May 4 against a Philadelphia team that has traditionally given him fits. Gee has a 6.53 ERA against the Phillies, giving up 15 home runs over 70 1-3 innings. But he fared much better the last time he faced them, tossing seven innings in a 2-1 Mets victory at Citizens Bank Park.

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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