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Dodgers hit 3 homers, Ryu returns to beat Mets 4-3

By WTOP Staff

MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Three long balls and a healthy Hyun-Jin Ryu made it a gratifying night for the Dodgers.

Adrian Gonzalez homered for the third straight game, Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back shots and Los Angeles defeated the New York Mets 4-3 on Wednesday.

Ryu (4-2) came off the disabled list and pitched the Dodgers to their 11th victory in 12 meetings with the Mets dating to July 1, 2012. Ramirez drove in two runs and Los Angeles enjoyed most of the vocal support from the 23,721 fans at Citi Field, many of whom turned out to cheer Ryu.

“I was faithful to my rehab and what the trainers told me. I felt good. I felt ready, mentally,” Ryu said through a translator. “I’m glad to be back and eager to get the team going in a winning direction.”

The lefty from South Korea, sidelined since late April with shoulder inflammation, went six innings and improved to 4-0 in five starts away from home this season. His return means the Dodgers have all five members of their projected rotation healthy together for the first time all year.

“Like he was never on the DL at all,” catcher A.J. Ellis said. “He was in razor form, and total command of all his pitches.”

Eric Campbell hit his first major league homer for the sputtering Mets, who fell to 5-14 in May with their sixth loss in seven games. David Wright, Juan Lagares and Wilmer Flores each had three of New York’s 13 hits.

Los Angeles managed only five — but all of them went for extra bases.

“Who needs singles, right?” Ellis said.

Jacob deGrom (0-2) gave up three solo homers over six innings in his second big league start. Pitching in place of injured Dillon Gee, the shaggy-haired righty wasn’t quite as effective as last Thursday, when deGrom went seven innings in a 1-0 loss to the New York Yankees.

Lagares tripled in the ninth and scored as second baseman Dee Gordon made a nice play on Daniel Murphy’s groundout. Kenley Jansen struck out Wright to end it.

Campbell hit a two-run shot in the sixth, when the Mets finally got to Ryu with four hits. Chris Young’s double-play grounder prevented what could have been a much bigger inning.

Ryu had thrown 33 straight shutout innings on the road since Sept. 24, 2013, at San Francisco.

“The guy’s a workhorse. When it’s his time to pitch, he prepares himself better than a lot of people that I’ve seen,” Dodgers reliever Brian Wilson said. “He knows what he’s doing.”

Brandon League protected a 3-2 lead in the seventh, retiring Young with runners at second and third to end the inning. Wright’s two-out double squirted a few feet behind a diving Puig in right, but Murphy didn’t appear to be running hard all the way and was held up at third base.

Los Angeles added an insurance run in the eighth when the Mets botched an opportunity for an inning-ending double play. Pinch-hitter Chone Figgins had a leadoff double against Jeurys Familia and scored on Ramirez’s comebacker with runners at the corners.

“I got a little confused because I didn’t want to throw it away,” Familia said.

Wilson worked a scoreless inning and Jansen got three outs for his 13th save in 15 attempts.

Gonzalez homered into the second deck in right field leading off the second, his 12th of the season. The slugger hit a two-run shot in the series opener Tuesday night and has nine hits in his past 16 at-bats.

“I went where I wanted to go with the high fastball. He caught up to it,” deGrom said.

It’s the third time this season Gonzalez has gone deep in at least three consecutive games.

Puig sent a solo drive to left-center in the sixth for his 10th of the year and Ramirez followed with his seventh, the second time the Dodgers have gone back-to-back this season.

Puig has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games, batting .408 with seven homers and 23 RBIs during that stretch. He was the NL co-player of the week last week.

Ryu scattered five hits over the first five innings and struck out Curtis Granderson with the bases loaded to end the third. That left the Mets 6 for 41 (.146) with the bags full this season.

NOTES: League hasn’t allowed an earned run in 21 1-3 innings over 14 outings since April 16. … Gonzalez and Andre Ethier hit consecutive home runs April 4 against San Francisco. … Los Angeles placed 3B Juan Uribe (strained right hamstring) on the 15-day DL. Justin Turner started at 3B and went 0 for 4 against his former team. … Lagares returned from the Dominican Republic and was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday night’s game because of a death in the family. … A college shortstop, deGrom singled to start the fifth and has the only two hits for Mets pitchers in 74 at-bats this season. … LHP Jonathon Niese (2-3, 2.54 ERA) faces Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (7-1, 2.03) in the series finale Thursday night.

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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