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Bautista’s HR carries Blue Jays past Red Sox 3-1

By WTOP Staff

KEN POWTAK
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball is proving to be quite elusive these days.

Dickey pitched into the eighth inning and Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer, carrying the Toronto Blue Jays to a much-needed 3-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

“We’ve said before that it’s kind of a ‘hit and miss pitch,'” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Some pitches flatten out and some hang more than others. A lot of it is the luck of the draw, too.”

Dickey (12-12) allowed one run and six hits. The knuckleballer was pulled after Mookie Betts’ leadoff double in the eighth.

Dickey improved 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three starts and 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA against Boston this season.

With his pitch dancing in a light breeze, he had a number of Boston’s hitters taking big swings that led to many misses, weak grounders or popups.

“As far as a mechanical adjustment, it’s nothing that’s outstanding,” Dickey said of his recent run. “You’re always working on your trade.”

Adam Lind added three hits for the Blue Jays, who dropped the first two games of the series after five consecutive wins. The Blue Jays were six games behind Seattle for the AL’s second wild card coming into the day.

Xander Bogaerts had an RBI single for the defending World Series champion Red Sox, who were eliminated from the AL East race by Baltimore’s 7-5 win at Tampa Bay.

Boston’s Rubby De La Rosa (4-6) gave up three runs and seven hits in four-plus innings. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in his last five starts.

“I thought prior to the fifth inning he used all his pitches well,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “He pitched out of a couple of jams, continued to show very good poise. The 2-0 slider to Bautista, unfortunately, nicks him for three runs.”

Brett Cecil worked a hitless eighth and Casey Janssen tossed a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.

Bautista chased De La Rosa with his 31st homer, a drive over the Green Monster seats and completely out of Fenway Park.

“Yeah, I missed that pitch, tried to throw that pitch like away to him so it’s not in the middle,” De La Rosa said.

Boston’s hitters had little luck with Dickey early on, collecting just three singles in the first five innings. Jackie Bradley Jr. had the hardest hit ball, a deep drive to the wall in center that was caught with two runners on in the second.

VERY CONSISTENT

Dickey made his 30th start of the season. It’s his fourth straight with 30 or more.

“He’s very durable and gave us what we needed today,” Gibbons said.

LOVES FENWAY

Bautista has 20 career homers at Fenway, second-most of any active opponent. He went 3 for 4 while extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: 1B Edwin Encarnacion was the designated hitter after being lifted for a pinch runner late in Saturday’s loss. He has been bothered by a right quad injury.

Red Sox: Boston 1B Mike Napoli and INF/OF Brock Holt both were out of the lineup after feeling ill the past couple of days. Holt left Friday’s game early and Napoli departed on Saturday. Farrell said both were feeling “much better.” DH David Ortiz had a planned day off, but Farrell said they also were “managing that right foot he fouled a couple of balls off recently.” Two weeks ago, Ortiz went down hard and left the game after fouling a ball off his foot. He was out of the lineup for two games.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (9-5, 3.83 ERA) is slated to go against RHP Jacob Turner (5-8, 5.54 ERA) on Monday when Toronto opens a three-game series at home against the Cubs.

Red Sox: RHP Joe Kelly (1-1, 3.89 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game set in Fenway against AL East-leading Baltimore. Miguel Gonzalez (8-7, 3.38 ERA) gets the ball for the Orioles.

THREE KNUCKLEBALLERS IN THE PARK

Dickey and Boston reliever Steven Wright both mostly throw knuckleballs and pitched in the game. Former Red Sox RHP Tim Wakefield watched from the press box.

Wright pitched five shutout innings, allowing two hits.

“To be honest with you. He had a better knuckleball than I did tonight,” Dickey said of Wright.

The Red Sox said in their postgame notes that Dickey and Wright became the first knuckleballers to face each other in the majors since Wakefield started and Dickey entered in relief with Minnesota on April 22, 2009.

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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