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Koehler fine start not enough for Marlins vs. Mets

By WTOP Staff

CHRISTOPHER STOCK
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Tom Koehler struck out a career-high 10 batters and allowed just two runs in seven innings.

But a two-run home run by Kirk Nieuwenhuis was enough to keep the New York Mets close until they scored two runs in the eighth and handed the Miami Marlins a 4-3 loss on Wednesday night.

“Sometimes you’ve got to go out there and win a ballgame 1-0,” Koehler said. “That’s what you see the really solid starters do. They go out there when the team gives them the lead and shut them down. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that.”

Koehler allowed five hits and four walks.

“I felt good, but unfortunately personal results don’t really matter right now when we’re trying to go on a little bit of a run here and win ballgames,” Koehler said. “I would much rather have gotten rocked and we won the game.”

The Mets won two of three in the series with the Marlins and lead the season series 10-6.

“The Mets have played us tough and they’ve hit our pitchers,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.

Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton homered for the third consecutive game to give him 36 on the season and bring the Marlins within 4-3 in the eighth after the Mets took a two-run lead in the top half of the inning.

Matt den Dekker, who had a career-high three hits, laid down a successful bunt that proved to be a pivotal play in the game. He led off the eighth inning and scored the go-ahead run.

“The guys were back, and I saw that side of the field open,” said den Dekker, who got on base to lead off the inning.

Travis d’Arnaud drove in den Dekker with a double for the go-ahead run, and Dilson Herrera also drove in a run later in the inning to push the Mets’ lead to 4-2.

Carlos Torres (6-5) pitched 1 1-3 innings in relief to earn the victory. Jenrry Mejia got the final three outs in the ninth, following a leadoff walk, for his 23rd save in 26 opportunities.

Den Dekker led off the eighth with a single off Mike Dunn (10-6), who also allowed a hit to Lucas Duda. Dunn was replaced by Bryan Morris, who immediately allowed an RBI double to d’Arnaud to right field to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. Herrera’s groundout then scored Duda.

Jacob deGrom allowed one run and six hits in six innings for the Mets. He struck out six, walked two and left with a 2-1 lead.

The Marlins tied it 2-2 in the seventh inning. Adeiny Hechavarria doubled to deep center field off reliever Buddy Carlyle, and lefty Dario Alvarez came in to face Christian Yelich, who singled to right to score Hechavarria.

Miami opened the scoring in the third with an RBI single by Casey McGehee. Nieuwenhuis’ third home run of the season gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the fourth. The Mets are 14-2 this season when Nieuwenhuis starts.

“I knew I hit it well, but in this park you never know,” Nieuwenhuis said.

Juan Lagares led off the game with a single for the Mets, stretching his on-base streak to six consecutive plate appearances. He finished the game 2 for 5.

A day after Mets captain David Wright had three hits to break out of a 7-for-50 skid, he struck out four times and went 0 for 5.

UP NEXT

The Marlins and Mets are both off on Thursday. Miami will host Atlanta for a three-game series beginning on Friday with RHP Jarred Cosart (3-1, 1.64) on the mound against Braves RHP Aaron Harang (10-9, 3.64).

New York will travel to Cincinnati and will start RHP Bartolo Colon (12-11, 4.01) on Friday against RHP Alfredo Simon (13-9, 3.28).

MAKING A CASE FOR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

DeGrom, who has a 7-6 record in 19 starts, leads National League rookies with 112 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA.

“It would be a tremendous honor for the whole organization,” Mets manager Terry Collins said of deGrom’s chances to be the National League’s top rookie. “The guys that helped this kid along the way, the fact that he’s come up with really no buildup. When he got here he was going to go to the bullpen. We had an injury and now we can’t get him out of the rotation, looks like he’s going to be in it for a long time. Orel Hersheiser can tell you, a very similar thing happened to him. He came to the big leagues as a reliever, got a chance to start, and he ended up being one of the best pitchers in baseball.”

STREAKING MARLINS

Stanton is one of four players to have more than one streak of at least three consecutive games with a home run. The Marlins have homered in six straight home games.

Yelich has a 12-game hitting streak at Marlins Park and is hitting .500 (25 for 50) during that stretch. McGehee extended his hitting streak to seven games.

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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