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Giants snap tie in 9th, beat Arizona to narrow gap

By WTOP Staff

JOSE M. ROMERO
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Someone had been to the costume shop, and Matt Duffy was about to put on faux leather boots, chaps and a pink cowboy hat to complete his travel ensemble.

The annual ritual of making rookies wear unflattering outfits on one of the last road trips of the season was underway in the Giants’ clubhouse, but it hardly bothered Duffy.

“I told them I feel so good right now, they can dress me up in whatever they want,” Duffy said Wednesday after his pinch-hit single in the ninth inning sent San Francisco to a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Duffy snapped a tie with a two-run single and the Giants narrowed their gap in the NL West, pulling within two games of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost 16-2 at Colorado. The contenders both have 10 games left.

Duffy’s hit came on a full count with the bases loaded against closer Addison Reed (1-6). Pablo Sandoval walked with one out, Brandon Crawford singled and pinch-hitter Brandon Belt walked, setting up Duffy. Crawford had four hits.

Now 4 for 10 as a pinch hitter, Duffy did not play in Triple-A this season and was called straight up from Double-A on Aug. 1. Giants manager Bruce Bochy showed faith in him in a key situation during a playoff race.

“When he shows confidence in you, you have confidence in yourself,” Duffy said. “It’s a good feeling, definitely.”

Bochy said Duffy has shown good composure since his call-up.

“That’s not the first time he’s gotten a big hit for us,” Bochy said. “I like him in that situation.”

Sergio Romo (6-4) pitched one inning, and Duffy batted for him. Santiago Casilla got his 17th save.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Reed was overworked.

“This was his fifth day in six either in the game or heating up. He just didn’t have it,” Gibson said.

Crawford hit an RBI double in the second for a 1-0 lead.

Andrew Chafin, making his second major league start, tied it in the Arizona second with an RBI single off Madison Bumgarner. The hit came in Chafin’s first big league at-bat.

Bumgarner labored through six innings, allowing at least two baserunners in the first three. Trying for his 19th win, he gave up seven hits and struck out six.

“I was having to battle and try to make pitches and keep us in the game,” Bumgarner said. “Fortunately, I was able to do it.”

The Giants took the lead in the fifth thanks to an infield hit, a walk, a wild pitch and a pair of sacrifices that produced one run.

Bumgarner gave up the tying run in the bottom of the fifth, when A.J. Pollock ran home on a thrown third strike that bounced to Giants catcher Andrew Susac.

Susac threw out Mark Trumbo at first base, but Pollock hustled to the plate on the throw and beat Buster Posey’s return throw to Susac.

Chafin allowed two runs on three hits with four walks and two strikeouts in six innings.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING

The Giants admittedptq to looking at the out-of-town scoreboard at Chase Field to see how the Dodgers were doing against the Rockies during the course of the afternoon.

“The scoreboard here is right in front of you,” Bochy said. “Now we’ve got three big games in San Diego and that’s where our focus is going to be.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: OF Angel Pagan was scheduled for an MRI for his back injury, and missed his third straight game. … OF Michael Morse is still out with a strained oblique. Belt played for the first time since being activated Monday following a concussion. He will remain in Arizona on Thursday to get at-bats in the instructional league before rejoining the team.

Diamondbacks: 3B Jake Lamb (quadriceps) remains limited, but is expected to return to the lineup when the team plays at Colorado beginning Thursday. Lamb came on as a pinch hitter on Tuesday and struck out.

UP NEXT

Giants: RHP Tim Hudson (9-11) pitches Friday in San Diego after the club gets Thursday off. He’s coming off the worst start of his career, in which he allowed six runs on eight hits in one inning of a 17-0 loss to the Dodgers last week.

Diamondbacks: LHP Vidal Nuno (0-6) faces the Rockies in the opener of a four-game series Thursday. Nuno has a 2.31 ERA over his last five starts. He allowed one earned run in eight innings against the Rockies on Aug. 30 but took the loss.

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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