Skip to main content

Uehara falters again as Red Sox lose to Yanks 5-4

By WTOP Staff

RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Koji Uehara turned, watched Mark Teixeira’s home run land in the second deck, bent over, raised his head and shook it from side to side.

Ten pitches later, he looked down glumly and glanced briefly at Chase Headley’s homer heading toward the right-field bleachers. He took off his glove, spit, wiped sweat off his face with his sleeve and ran his left hand through his hair twice. Then he walked to the third base dugout.

On the verge of a one-run win, the Boston Red Sox left New York with a 5-4 loss to the Yankees on Thursday night.

“Any time you give up a lead in the fashion we did, those are tough games to take,” manager John Farrell said.

MVP of the AL championship series during Boston’s World Series title run last year, Uehara was 4-2 with a 1.27 ERA and 26 saves in 28 chances through Aug. 15. He is 1-3 with a 19.29 ERA since then, allowing runs in five of six appearances and blowing save opportunities against Seattle, Toronto and New York.

After Uehara allowed Edwin Encarnacion’s tying, two-run double at Toronto on Aug. 25, a game the Red Sox rebounded to win in the 10th, the team rested its All-Star closer until Tuesday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium. And then came the latest meltdown.

“We’ve given Koji eight days off, got him an inning of work the other night, and still the lack of finish to his split is what allowed a couple of pitches to hang in the middle of the plate for a couple of home runs,” Farrell said.

With Boston headed to a last-place finish in the AL East, Farrell raised the possibility Uehara’s season might be over.

“We’ll talk with Koji first,” he said. “What our plan will be and whether that’s more extended rest, whether that’s the potential of shutting him down — uh, we just walked off the field, and out of respect for Koji and out of respect for what he’s done for us for two outstanding years, I’m not in position to announce that right now.”

David Ortiz homered twice off Chris Capuano as the Red Sox built a 3-0 lead in the first three innings. After Derek Jeter hit a two-run double off Brandon Workman and scored on Carlos Beltran’s single in the third, Brock Holt put Boston ahead 4-3 with a fifth-inning homer, his first in the big leagues off a left-hander. The drive bounced off the top of the right-field wall, just over Ichiro Suzuki’s outstretched glove, and into the seats.

The second baseman then made a sliding catch with his back to home plate on Jacoby Ellsbury’s popup in short center leading off the bottom half, with center fielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Xander Bogaerts also closing in.

“Whenever your back’s turned from home plate and you’re running full speed, that’s probably one of the toughest catches to make,” Holt said.

Rich Hill, Esmil Rogers, Josh Outman, Shawn Kelley and Adam Warren (3-5) combined for 4 2-3 innings of one-hit relief, keeping the Yankees within one run.

New York had just one hit since the third before Teixeira fouled off a 2-2 pitch, then drove Uehara’s hanging splitter into the second deck in right field.

“He’s just leaving some pitches up,” Holt said. “It’s a long season. Obviously, we all know what he’s capable of doing, and nobody’s lost hope in him or lost faith in him. He’s one of the better closers in the game.”

After Brian McCann flied out, Headley worked the count to 3-2 and homered on another splitter from Uehara (6-5).

“That’s how the game goes,” Ortiz said. “Sometimes they get you. Sometimes you get them.”

Workman lost his previous eight appearances, including seven starts. He gave up three runs and five hits in six innings, remaining winless since June 10 at Baltimore.

“It may not have been the biggest numbers I’ve ever put up, but I felt it was coming out of my hand well and, more importantly, I was keeping the ball down for the most part today,” Workman said. “I was throwing all four pitches down in the zone for the most part.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia missed his fifth straight game because of concussion-like symptoms, but likely will play Friday against Toronto.

UP NEXT

Red Sox RHP Allen Webster (3-3) starts Friday, with RHP Drew Hutchison (9-11) going for the Blue Jays.

SEASON SERIES

Boston dropped to 10-6 against the Yankees this year, ensuring New York will win the season series. The Yankees close with three games at Fenway Park.

LIFE AFTER BOSTON

Capuano, who made 28 relief appearances with the Red Sox this year before he was released, allowed four runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings for the Yankees. He gave up three homers to left-handed hitters for the first time in his 239 big league pitching appearances, according to STATS.

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote