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Yankees score 2 in 13th, beat Cubs 4-2

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Preston Claiborne gave himself a little pep talk as he stepped to the plate for the first time as a major leaguer.

In a tight spot, the reliever laid down a key sacrifice bunt. His teammates took it from there and gave him the win in the process.

Brendan Ryan scored on Jose Veras’ wild pitch before John Ryan Murphy capped a two-run 13th inning with an RBI single, and the New York Yankees beat the Cubs 4-2 Wednesday after Chicago wasted another dominant start by Jeff Samardzija.

New York scored two in the ninth against Hector Rondon to wipe out a 2-0 deficit. Samardzija pitched four-hit ball over seven innings.

Ryan started the winning rally with a leadoff single against Veras (0-1). Yangervis Solarte walked, and the runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt toward third by Claiborne (2-0) in his first career plate appearance.

Ryan came home when Veras threw a pitch over Murphy’s head, and then Murphy drove in Solarte with a single to right to make it 4-2. The Yankees had runners on second and third with two out when Derek Jeter grounded out to end the rally.

“I told myself, ‘Don’t bail on your teammates. Just hang in there and get it down,'” Claiborne said.

Claiborne got the win, pitching 1 2-3 scoreless innings, and David Robertson worked the 13th for his ninth save in nine chances.

He gave up a one-out single to Welington Castillo but retired Nate Schierholtz on a fly and struck out John Baker to end the game after 4 hours, 39 minutes.

Samardzija’s winless streak was stretched to 16 starts even though he lowered his major league-leading ERA from 1.62 to 1.46. If he’s frustrated, if he feels like he’s being wasted, he’s not saying.

Even so, how much longer can he take this?

“I’ve got a lot left,” Samardzija said. “I feel good. You take it with how it goes. It doesn’t always go the right way.”

Samardzija would have liked to stay in longer. But he insisted he was OK with manager Rick Renteria’s decision to go to hand it over to the bullpen and expressed sympathy for Rondon, who came in for the final out in a win previous night.

“I understand how hard it is to do that — to go out every day, especially when you pitched the night before in a long game in bad weather, to come back in a day game,” Samardzija said. “To come back in a day game the next day, it’s tough to do.”

It looked as if his streak was coming to an end after Brian Schlitter worked the eighth. The Cubs took a 2-0 lead into the ninth, but things quickly turned after Rondon came on to start the inning. A throwing error by second baseman Darwin Barney didn’t help.

A leadoff single by Mark Teixeira, walk to Brian McCann and another single to Solarte loaded the bases with none out.

The Yankees tied it when Ichiro Suzuki sent a grounder to shortstop Starlin Castro, who flipped to Barney at second as the first run scored. The relay throw to first sailed wide, and that allowed Ryan, running for McCann, to come home.

The blown save was the first for Rondon in six chances. And for Samardzija, it was just the latest dose of bad luck. He’s 0-4 in 10 starts this year and 0-6 in in 16 outings since he beat San Diego on Aug. 24.

Whitley was solid in his second start since being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He gave up a run and six hits in 4 1-3 innings, and the retiring Jeter heard loud cheers when he batted, particularly his last few times up.

“Well I kept thinking it was going to be my last (plate appearance), too. It just kept going on and on,” he said.

NOTES: Yankees reliever Shawn Kelley had a setback in his recovery from a back injury. Manager Joe Girardi said the right-hander woke up feeling stiff Tuesday after playing catch at Yankee Stadium the previous day. The Yankees hoped to have him pitch Saturday in a rehab game, but that won’t happen. Girardi said MRIs showed no disk problems. … The Yankees will be staying in Chicago, with a four-game series against the White Sox starting on Thursday. … Cubs RHP Jason Hammel expects to make his next start despite a deep bone bruise in his pitching hand. Hammel took a hard one-hopper to his hand while deflecting Brett Gardner’s single to start Wednesday’s game but pitched into the sixth to pick up the win. X-rays showed no structural damage. He is scheduled to start Sunday at San Diego.

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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