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Haren struggles again in Dodgers’ loss to Padres

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dan Haren pitched much better last season after the All-Star break than he did before it — and he’s hoping the same scenario will play out this time around.

Less than two weeks after he beat Cleveland 1-0 with seven sharp innings — and allowed his only hit on an umpire’s call that was reversed by a video replay challenge — Haren threw 102 pitches in four-plus innings Friday night and gave up four runs in a 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres.

“I felt fine, but that doesn’t really mean much. Regardless of how I felt the results were terrible,” said the three-time All-Star, who surrendered eight runs over 5 1/3 innings last Saturday in an 8-7 loss at Colorado. “I’m just not getting it done for us. I’m searching right now.

“I went through a similar thing last year, but then the All-Star break came and I was able to kind of turn the page and string together some good ones.

The Dodgers’ third loss in four games, coupled with San Francisco’s 5-0 win over Arizona, dropped the defending NL West champions into a virtual tie with the Giants for the division lead.

Haren (8-6) struck out five in his third start against the Padres and second loss to them in three weeks. He came in 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA in his eight previous home starts this season.

“He’s got less room for error than he has in the past,” manager Don Mattingly said.

Matt Kemp opened the scoring in the Dodgers’ first with an RBI single, but the Padres responded in the second with Alexi Amarista’s two-run homer after Will Venable reached on a strikeout-wild pitch past Drew Butera. Amarista and Haren were teammates with the Angels in 2011 and 2012.

Haren has allowed 19 homers — tying the Padres’ Eric Stults for second-most in the NL behind the 27 served up by Milwaukee’s Marco Estrada.

“I would say I’m just about as frustrated as I was last year,” Haren said. “Right now, I feel better than I did in April and May. My velocity has been up a little bit. Now I can strike guys out, but I’ve got to find a way to be more successful.”

The Padres increased the margin to 4-1 with two runs in the fifth. Chase Headley, whose homer in Thursday’s series opener ended Clayton Kershaw’s string of 41 consecutive scoreless innings, drove in Seth Smith from first base with a double. Carlos Quentin followed with another double on Haren’s final pitch for the first of his three RBIs.

Jesse Hahn (5-2) allowed a run and three hits, struck out six and walked four in his seventh major league start. The 24-year-old right-hander has a 1.46 ERA over his last six outings since Pittsburgh beat him 4-1 on June 3 in his big league debut at Petco Park.

Blaine Boyer took over for Hahn, giving up a leadoff double to Butera and a walk to Carl Crawford. That ended Boyer’s season-opening string of 26 consecutive plate appearances by right-handed batters without a hit or a walk — the longest such streak since STATS LLC began tracking data in 1974.

First-time All-Star Yasiel Puig chased Boyer with an RBI double, the first run off him this season in 14 innings. Adrian Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly against Alex Torres. But Quentin turned it into an inning-ending double play by throwing to third base and Headley applied the tag on the over-aggressive Puig after Dee Gordon crossed the plate.

“They were knocking on the door in that inning and put Blaine in a little bit of a crisis, so we had to go to Alex,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “He got the flyball from Gonzo, and Carlos got behind that ball and made a nice strong throw. If Puig doesn’t go, obviously we have to get another out. So that was a huge play for us.”

Joaquin Benoit escaped an eighth-inning jam, striking out Juan Uribe and Miguel Rojas with runners at second and third and retiring Crawford on a fielder’s choice grounder with the bases loaded after a full-count walk to pinch-hitter A.J. Ellis.

Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances.

Quentin, who entered Friday batting .165 with 14 RBIs in 42 games, extended the Padres’ lead to 6-1 in the sixth with a bases-loaded two-run single against Jamey Wright. The three RBIs gave the Padres’ left fielder two more than he had in his previous 34 at-bats combined.

NOTES: Former Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng was the eighth candidate interviewed by the Padres to replace fired general manager Josh Byrnes. Ng, currently the senior vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, is attempting to become the first female general manager of any major pro sport. Dodgers vice president of amateur scouting Logan White also was interviewed for the job. So was Padres senior vice president of baseball operations Omar Minaya, the former Mets and Montreal Expos GM. … Haren has allowed at least one home run in 11 of his last 12 starts. But none of the last 30 home runs hit against him have come with more than one man on base.

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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