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Darvish derails Miami bid for interleague record

By WTOP Staff

SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Christian Yelich and the Miami Marlins figured Yu Darvish was quite the obstacle between them and a record interleague winning streak.

The Japanese ace lived up to that billing.

Darvish pitched his first complete game in the majors, Shin-Soo Choo broke a long hitless streak with a three-run double and the Texas Rangers beat the Marlins 6-0 Wednesday night.

“It’s probably the first time a lot of us had ever faced him,” said Yelich, who reached his first two times on a walk and a single. “You can watch film on him all you want. But until you actually get in the box and see what his stuff does or how he approaches you, it’s tough.”

The Marlins had to settle for tying the New York Yankees (2003-04) and Tampa Bay (2004) for the longest interleague winning streak at 13 games. It was Miami’s first interleague loss since last Aug. 12 at Kansas City.

Darvish struck out 10 in his six-hitter, including all three in the eighth to end a streak of one baserunner in each of the first seven innings for the Marlins.

The Texas right-hander wrapped up his 73rd career start by getting Garrett Jones to swing at a pitch in the dirt. Catcher Chris Gimenez had to finish it off with a throw to first.

“I don’t think we really have anybody like that,” Miami manager Mike Redmond said when asked what NL pitchers compared to Darvish, who was facing the Marlins for the first time.

Darvish let out a good yell and pumped both fists before Gimenez greeted him in front of the mound after the final out. He wasn’t necessarily celebrating his first complete game. His battery mate says he does that all the time.

“He just kind of looked at me and goes, ‘Yeah!’ That’s what I said back to him,” Gimenez said. “He likes going ‘Yes!’ all the time. We kind of goof around with each other about it.”

The closest Darvish had come to a complete game were the two times he lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning. The first was a perfect game bid against Houston last year. The other was against Boston a month ago, although a scoring change a few days later altered that.

“I wasn’t really conscious of throwing a complete game,” Darvish said through a translator. “I thought I was going to be out of the game after the eighth inning, but when (manager Ron Washington) told me that I’m going in the ninth inning as well, I decided to go. And I also wanted to face (Giancarlo) Stanton again.”

Darvish gave up his final single to Stanton leading off the ninth, but Casey McGehee grounded into Miami’s third double play before Jones whiffed.

The Rangers (32-34) snapped a four-game losing streak and avoided falling four games under .500 for the first time since 2008.

Choo was in an 0-for-18 slump when he pulled a line drive past Jones at first with the bases loaded in the third against Jacob Turner (2-4). When Stanton couldn’t cut off the ball in right field, Elvis Andrus scored easily from first for a 3-0 lead.

Choo had a single in the fifth that again brought home Andrus, who had three hits.

Darvish, who won his fourth straight start for the first time in Texas, blew a 4-0 lead in his last start against Cleveland but still got the win in a 6-4 Texas victory. There were no such threats this time.

Marcell Ozuna helped Darvish by getting thrown out at second base by left fielder Michael Choice after a leadoff single in the seventh. Justin Bour followed with a walk, but Darvish started a double play on J.T. Realmuto to end the inning.

Jones had one of the singles on a 59 mph curveball before Darvish struck out Ozuna looking on a knee-buckling slider. Darvish, who threw 116 pitches, got Stanton swinging on another slider in the sixth.

“In one at-bat, he shook (off) like seven times before he threw the pitch,” Yelich said. “He can throw all those pitches for strikes and keep guys off-balance. I thought we had some opportunities there at the beginning, and we just couldn’t capitalize.”

Turner finished the fourth inning after getting hit on the right side by a line drive from Rougned Odor, but the right-hander didn’t come out for the fifth. He gave up six hits and five earned runs.

NOTES: This was the first meeting between the Marlins and Rangers since July 2011. They play two more in Miami on Aug. 19-20. … Yelich reached safely in six straight plate appearances going back to Tuesday, when he had career highs with four hits and four RBIs.

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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