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Giants done in by rain and Cubs in shortened loss

By WTOP Staff

JOHN JACKSON
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Bruce Bochy probably had a lot more he wanted to say after a 4½-hour wait to resume a game Tuesday night — and Wednesday morning — proved futile.

But the San Francisco Giants manager mostly held his tongue after the Wrigley Field infield was deemed unplayable and the Chicago Cubs were awarded a 2-0 victory in a game shortened to five innings.

“Look, I’m frustrated and beside myself,” Bochy said. “I’m probably not in the right frame of mind.

“It was a long, frustrating night. I hope they look at it and I hope they listen. I don’t know what other recourse we can take. It’s a tough time for everyone.”

Bochy declined to say, but a team official, asking not to be quoted directly, said the Giants likely will protest the result because they were promised everything would be done to get the game in.

Anthony Rizzo slammed a two-run homer, Tsuyoshi Wada (3-1) pitched five strong innings to lead the Cubs. The Giants lost for the seventh time in 10 games and fell 4 1/2 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West race.

After a brief but heavy downpour, the game was delayed 4 hours, 34 minutes before it was called off at 1:16 a.m. Fewer than 1,000 fans remained.

When the rain and the wind intensified in the middle of the fifth inning, home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt stopped play. The grounds crew couldn’t get the manual tarp fully in place, leaving large portions of the infield exposed to rain for more than 10 minutes.

When the rain stopped — 14 minutes after the game was delayed — large sections of the infield were soaked.

It took nearly 1 1-2 hours for workers to remove water from the infield and spread dozens of bags of compound on the dirt area.

Wendelstedt, Bochy and Cubs manager Rick Renteria toured the infield, but after additional repairs followed by another lengthy delay with little or no activity, play was halted for the final time.

“We tried to wait as long as we could,” Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. “Because the Giants were in a pennant race, we felt an obligation to do that. I talked with the umpires a lot and (team president) Theo Epstein talked with MLB to come up with a way to play this game the way it should be played.

“Obviously, that didn’t happen, and it’s unfortunate.”

There was speculation during the delay that the game could be suspended and resumed Wednesday, but Wendelstedt said that wasn’t an option.

“The problem that all the parties faced was in the baseball rulebook there was nothing to put our hat on to suspend the game,” Wendelstedt said to a pool reporter. “The game became regulation with the home team winning in the top of the fifth inning. There was really no way around it.”

Rookie Javier Baez walked with one out against Ryan Vogelsong (7-9) in the first inning before Rizzo homered over the right-field bleachers for his 29th shot of the season. Of his 23 homers since May 8, 13 gave the Cubs the lead and two others tied games. He also had a single.

When the rain stopped after a short while, Vogelsong assumed play would resume.

“I was talking to (pitching coach Dave Righetti) about going back out,” he said. “Then after a while I realized I wasn’t going to be able to go back out, but at least I was hoping we’d get back out and play, give us a chance.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: The status of C Hector Sanchez is on hold after he sustained his second concussion of the season last Saturday while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Fresno. … 2B Joe Panik is day-to-day because of a dislocated left pinkie. He was injured on a head-first slide against Philadelphia last Sunday.

Cubs: Top prospect Kris Bryant returned to the lineup with a double and a walk in four plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa on Monday. The third baseman sat out one game and was limited to a pinch-hitting role in another because of a bruised left foot.

UP NEXT: In a matchup of veteran right-handers, the Giants’ Jake Peavy (1-3, 3.86) will oppose the Cubs’ Edwin Jackson (6-13, 5.74) on Wednesday night. Peavy lost 12 of his last 13 decisions –the last nine with the Boston Red Sox. Jackson dropped six of his last seven.

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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