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Buchholz shines again as Red Sox beat Jays, 4-3

By WTOP Staff

KEN POWTAK
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Clay Buchholz had a simple reason for his recent success.

Buchholz had his third straight solid start and the Boston Red Sox beat Toronto 4-3 Saturday night, damaging the Blue Jays’ fading playoff hopes.

“It all comes with fastball command,” he said. “If you’re throwing your fastball for strikes, everything else feeds off that.”

Buchholz (7-8) gave up two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings to help Boston get its second straight win against Toronto. He struck out five and walked two.

Edward Mujica, Boston’s fourth reliever, got the final two outs for his fourth save.

But it was Buchholz’s start that carried the Red Sox to just their second win in eight games at Fenway Park against the Blue Jays this season.

“He might not have been as sharp as his last time out,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “He’s still in a really good run, not only the last three times out, but in the last month, month and a half. He’s throwing the ball very consistently.”

Colby Rasmus had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh for the Blue Jays, who began the day five games behind Seattle for the AL’s second wild card.

“We’re still in this thing. We’re hanging on by a thread,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “They’ve been two close ballgames, they could have gone either way, but we just came up short.”

The Red Sox scored single runs in the first four innings off J.A. Happ (9-9) after the Blue Jays jumped ahead 1-0 on Dioner Navarro’s RBI double.

Happ gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings.

“I wasn’t sharp in the first inning, but after that I actually felt like I was making pitches,” he said.

Dustin Pedroia’s run-scoring grounder tied it in the first and Boston moved ahead on Will Middlebrooks’ RBI single in the second. Yoenis Cespedes had an RBI double in the third and Christian Vazquez added an RBI double.

Buchholz left with a 4-1 lead in the seventh before Craig Breslow gave up Rasmus’ homer that hooked around the right-field foul pole.

In his last start, Buchholz shut out Tampa Bay with a three-hitter on Sunday. On Aug. 25 in Toronto, he held Toronto scoreless over eight innings before leaving with the bases loaded in the ninth. The bullpen allowed all three runners to score before Boston pulled out a 4-3 win in extra innings.

Mookie Betts made a running catch, going to his knees to snag a bloop in short center to save a run, ending the eighth.

Buchholz gave up two hits in the first two innings then retired the 12 straight batters before Jose Bautista’s leadoff double in the sixth. After walking the next batter, Buchholz helped himself by grabbing Adam Lind’s grounder to the mound and firing to second, starting a 1-6-3 double play. Navarro then lined out to center.

BIG PAPI SHOWS SOME SPEED

David Ortiz lumbered from first, scoring on Cespedes’ RBI double into the right-center field gap. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Ortiz came in standing up when RF Bautista overthrew the cutoff.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: Kevin Pillar started in left field a day after Melky Cabrera was lost for the season with a fractured right pinkie finger. Cabrera, a big part of the lineup, was second in the majors with 171 hits when he was injured, batting .301 with 19 homers and 73 RBIs.

Red Sox: INF/OF and leadoff hitter Brock Holt, who left Friday’s win early with dizziness, was out of the lineup, but manager Farrell said he was available to play. Farrell said he decided to get an extra right-handed batter in the lineup against left-handed starter Happ. First baseman Mike Napoli left because an illness after the second inning.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (11-12, 3.94 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday in the series finale. He has won two of his last three starts, going seven strong innings, allowing just two runs and two hits in his last one on Sept. 2.

Red Sox: Rubby De La Rosa (4-5, 3.89) is slated to get the start. He’s winless in his last four starts.

NICE DELIVERY

The three children of a Kevin Houston, a Navy SEAL from Cape Cod that was killed in Afghanistan in early August, delivered the game ball to the pitcher’s mound before the start. They received a standing ovation.

DELAYED START

The start was delayed 72 minutes by a thunderstorm that didn’t bring much rain, but had a lot of thunder and lightning.

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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