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Asche, Utley lift Phils over Giants 5-3 in 10

By WTOP Staff

RICK EYMER
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cody Asche took one look at the starting lineup and felt his confidence grow. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg challenged him, and that was enough.

Asche hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to tie the game and then started the decisive rally with a double to open the 10th as Philadelphia rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Friday night.

“He saw something in me that made him want to put me in,” Asche said. “I was confident just by the fact I was in there.”

Chase Utley was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th and Ryan Howard followed with a sacrifice fly against Javier Lopez, snapping the Phillies’ three-game losing streak.

Sandberg gave Andres Blanco the day off and went with Asche against Madison Bumgarner.

“If you want a chance to become a regular player, you have to face lefties,” Sandberg said.

Asche connected against Jeremy Affeldt, who allowed his first home run this season, and doubled off Santiago Casilla (1-3) to set the stage for the winning rally.

Ken Giles (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings, and Jonathan Papelbon worked the 10th for his 28th save in 31 chances.

Bumgarner threw seven strong innings for his first quality start at home since June 10, a span of seven games. He allowed one run and four hits, striking out nine without a walk.

“It was nice to pitch a good game at home,” Bumgarner said. “It’s been forever.”

Cole Hamels also delivered a quality start for Philadelphia, giving up three runs and nine hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Pablo Sandoval had three hits, but the Giants lost their sixth in seven games.

Bumgarner retired the first 10 hitters he faced, five on strikeouts, before allowing back-to-back hits by Jimmy Rollins and Utley.

Hamels let the leadoff hitter reach base in five innings and had baserunners every inning. He was able to avoid trouble with the exception of the fourth.

Buster Posey led off with a single and Sandoval hit a ground-rule double ahead of Michael Morse’s first home run in August, a three-run drive into the left-field seats.

Marlon Byrd countered with his 23rd homer leading off the fifth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: OF John Mayberry Jr. continues to deal with inflammation in his left wrist. His recovery has been interrupted by minor setbacks following workouts.

Giants: 1B Brandon Belt will get another opinion on his concussion when the Giants visit Chicago next week. Belt will see concussion specialist Michael Collins in Pittsburgh.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Kyle Kendrick (5-11, 4.88 ERA) takes the mound Saturday afternoon. He is 1-3 in his past six starts and has an ERA of 6.98 over his last seven.

Giants: RHP Tim Hudson (8-9, 2.81) pitches Saturday. The Giants have lost seven of his last 10 starts. Hudson has started 30 games against the Phillies and is 11-10 with a 3.60 ERA against them.

BYRD IS THE WORD

Giants third base coach Tim Flannery sent Sandoval home with two outs in the eighth on Joe Panik’s single to right. Byrd’s throw to Carlos Ruiz was there in plenty of time, keeping the game tied.

“Defense always comes first,” Byrd said. “I’m not always going to hit, and I take pride in my defense.”

Byrd also ran down Morse’s 400-foot fly in the second to the roomy area of the ballpark known as Triples Alley.

COOL LIKE CARLTON

Hamels had his streak of pitching at least seven innings and allowing no more than one earned run stopped at five games, one shy of matching the franchise record. Steve Carlton was the last Phillies pitcher to do it, in 1972. Grover Cleveland Alexander (1916) and Elmer Jacobs (1918) also accomplished the feat.

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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