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Headley HR ends Kershaw’s streak; Padres lose 2-1

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — All that Chase Headley’s home run did was end Clayton Kershaw’s scoreless streak at 41 innings. The San Diego Padres had only two other hits against the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

Odrisamer Despaigne allowed just two runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings Thursday night in his fourth big league start. But the 27-year right-hander picked the wrong night to pitch, as the Padres lost 2-1 in the opener of a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“He matched the best pitcher in baseball all the way through,” San Diego manager Bud Black said. “I thought his fastball was a little crisper than his previous two starts. I thought he pitched well with his fastball, had good location with it, good movement, got on some hitters.”

Despaigne (2-1) got his first chance to face Cuban countryman Yasiel Puig in the majors and held him to one hit in four at-bats — a line-drive double that caromed off Despaigne’s left leg and into left field in the fourth.

Scott Van Slyke hit a two-out single that drove in Puig from third, and Adrian Gonzalez knocked in the go-ahead run with sacrifice fly in the sixth after Headley tied it in the top half with his seventh homer.

“He looks like another competitive guy who’s never going to give in and knows how to make pitches,” Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said of Despaigne. “He showed us a lot tonight, and we know we’re going to be in for a big challenge the next time we face him. Surprise, surprise — another strong arm for the San Diego Padres.”

Kershaw (11-2) won his eighth straight start and came within 18 innings of the major league record set by Dodgers right-hander Orel Hershiser, who threw 59 consecutive shutout innings in 1988.

Kershaw faced the Padres for the first time this season. Last year, he was 1-3 with a 3.33 ERA in four starts against them.

“He was tough all night,” Headley said. “He threw me a slider that didn’t have a whole lot on it. It stayed out over the plate and I was able to put a good swing on it. But he was tremendous again. He showed why he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. It seems like he’s throwing his breaking pitches more. Last year was more fastball and slider.”

Headley’s homer snapped the longest scoreless streak in the majors since Brandon Webb went 42 innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007.

“It was over the fence, so it was a mistake — and it tied the game,” Kershaw said. “When it’s a game like that, one mistake can kill you. Fortunately for me, that one mistake didn’t.”

Ellis agreed with Kershaw that losing the game would have been much worse than losing his shutout streak.

“I was barely thinking about the streak at all, and I know he wasn’t,” Ellis said. “I mean, we weren’t close to anything that was worth starting to get excited about. We were more disappointed that the game was tied. So we had to bear down, keep the game where it was and hope we could scratch out another run.”

Kershaw became the third pitcher in the last 100 years to win eight straight starts in one season while striking out at least seven batters in each one. The others were Sandy Koufax (1966) and Juan Marichal (1967).

Headed to his fourth All-Star game in a row, Kershaw seems a strong choice to start the Midsummer Classic on regular rest Tuesday night in Minnesota.

Kershaw earned his 14th complete game in 196 career starts, helping the defending NL West champions increase their division lead to one game over San Francisco.

Vying for his fourth straight major league ERA title, Kershaw highlighted his astounding streak with a no-hitter June 18 against Colorado. He limited the Rockies to two hits over eight innings in the rematch last Friday at Coors Field.

During his scoreless streak, Kershaw allowed 17 hits, struck out 52 batters, walked six and stranded 23 runners — four at third base. He also retired the leadoff hitter in 36 of those innings.

The previous run against Kershaw came on an RBI double by Arizona’s Aaron Hill in the third inning of Kershaw’s 4-3 win June 13 at Dodger Stadium. His next outing was the no-hitter.

NOTES: Padres 1B Tommy Medica grounded out his only time up and was replaced by Rene Rivera after feeling tightness in his groin. … Puig said he faced Despaigne in Cuba, according to a Dodgers spokesman.

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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