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Wood whiffs 12 as Gattis, Braves nip Marlins 1-0

By WTOP Staff

GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — The last time Alex Wood started against Miami at Turner Field, he pitched eight strong innings before losing 1-0 to Jose Fernandez.

More than four months later, even though Fernandez is out for the season with an elbow injury, Wood enjoyed a little payback.

“It’s probably a little different because going against Fernandez, he’s got electric stuff,” Wood said. “It’s always fun going against guys like that. But this will probably top it just because we came out on top.”

Wood struck out 12 in eight dominant innings and Evan Gattis homered to help the Atlanta Braves beat the Marlins 1-0 on Sunday.

Miami had gone 60 games without getting shut out, the longest active streak in the majors.

Atlanta, which has won four of five and 11 of 15, remained 1½ games out of the second NL wild-card spot.

Craig Kimbrel earned his major league-high 41st save in 45 chances.

Kimbrel retired Donovan Solano on a grounder and Giancarlo Stanton on a popup before giving up a single to Casey McGehee. The All-Star closer struck out pinch-hitter Garrett Jones to end it.

Wood (10-10) matched his career high in strikeouts for the second time this month. The 23-year-old lefty, who improved to 3-2 with a 1.86 ERA in his last seven starts, gave up five hits and walked none.

Wood had no problem with not getting a chance to earn his first career shutout when manager Fredi Gonzalez removed him for a pinch-hitter so Kimbrel could pitch the ninth.

“I would’ve liked to go back out there, for sure,” Wood said. “But that’s the nature of the beast when you have the best closer in baseball.”

Gattis, who batted .237 in his previous 33 games after returning from a back injury, hit his 21st homer in the second.

The Braves got just three runners in scoring position after that despite finishing with 11 hits.

In the first five innings, Wood allowed two hits — a leadoff single to Solano in the fourth and a one-out single to Jeff Baker in the second — before Nathan Eovaldi, Christian Yelich and Solano loaded the bases with consecutive singles in the sixth.

But Stanton, who was tied for tops in the majors with 98 RBIs, struck out on three pitches, and McGehee took a called third strike on a slow, inside curve to end the threat.

“That was a huge situation,” said Gattis, Atlanta’s catcher. “He went out there and pitched like it was no big deal. Just competing. You could see he was fired up. Just outstanding.”

Wood, mixing his fastball, curve and changeup to keep the Marlins guessing, threw strikes on 74 of 101 pitches.

Eovaldi (6-10) gave up nine hits and struck out six in 6 2-3 innings, dropping his fourth straight start. Chris Hatcher replaced him after Phil Gosselin and Freddie Freeman had consecutive singles in the seventh, ending the threat on Justin Upton’s flyout.

“We always have close games with them, it feels like,” Eovaldi said. “Alex threw well tonight. Again, it came down to that one home run by Gattis.”

Miami has lost six of eight.

UP NEXT

The Marlins return home Monday, when RHP Henderson Alvarez (10-6) faces the Mets. Alvarez has won four of seven career starts against New York.

RHP Julio Teheran and the Braves face Philadelphia LHP Cole Hamels. Teheran has won three straight starts with a 1.47 ERA.

RECORD RELIEF

Kimbrel is the first pitcher to begin his career with at least 40 saves in four straight seasons.

TOUGH CLIMB

Despite losing just four times in their last 15 games, the second-place Braves have gained no ground on Washington in the NL East and remain six games back.

LONG DAY

Atlanta RF Jason Heyward went 0 for 4 after going 5 for 7 in the first two games of the series. Heyward began the afternoon hitting .348 over his last 41 games. … Upton, who went 1 for 4, had hit safely in 20 of 27 games with 28 RBIs this month. … Miami’s Nos. 3-6 hitters — Stanton, McGehee, Baker, Jones and Marcell Ozuna, went a combined 2 for 15.

HE’S OUT

Marlins manager Mike Redmond unsuccessfully challenged that Solano was safe in the ninth after 3B Chris Johnson’s throw barely beat the runner. The review took 1 minute, 27 seconds.

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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