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Mets get 13 hits but lose to Dodgers again, 4-3

By WTOP Staff

MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mets got 13 hits and another encouraging outing from rookie Jacob deGrom. That still wasn’t enough to overcome the homer-happy Dodgers.

Adrian Gonzalez went deep for the third straight game, Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back shots and Los Angeles defeated New York 4-3 Wednesday night to hand the sputtering Mets their sixth loss in seven games.

“DeGrom was real good tonight,” manager Terry Collins said. “The home run balls hurt him. But he changed speeds and used his breaking ball and went back and got a little more when he needed it.”

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

“I felt good. I located the ball well but just had a couple of mistakes,” deGrom said.

Eric Campbell hit his first major league homer for the Mets, who fell to 5-14 in May. David Wright, Juan Lagares and Wilmer Flores each had three hits.

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

“Who needs singles, right?” catcher A.J. Ellis said.

Hyun-Jin 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.

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.

“Like he was never on the DL at all,” Ellis said. “He was in razor form.”

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.

“It felt good. I had swung through the changeup earlier and I thought he would come back with it,” said Campbell, who is 7 for 16 with five RBIs in his first seven games. “I’ve got the ball. I don’t know how they tracked it down.”

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.

Brian 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.

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: Justin Turner started at 3B for the Dodgers 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. … Collins said C Travis d’Arnaud (concussion) was feeling much better and passed an impact test. “Tomorrow he’ll be examined by a doctor and see how he’s doing and we’ll find out what the next step is,” Collins said. … 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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