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Strasburg, Nationals lose 4-1 to Cardinals

By WTOP Staff

R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — For the second straight game, a Washington Nationals starter could have used one do-over. Both times, it was against Matt Adams.

Stephen Strasburg got a little too much of the plate on a 3-1 fastball that Adams hammered for the go-ahead home run leading off St. Louis’ three-run seventh in a 4-1 victory Saturday night.

“In that situation I wanted to throw him a borderline pitch, I didn’t want to just lay one in there,” Strasburg said. “But I think I need to throw a different pitch because you can see he can hit a ball a long way.”

Strasburg (6-5) allowed three runs in 6 2-3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. It was his 11th consecutive quality start, but he dropped to 5-3 with a 2.22 ERA in that stretch that began April 20 when he gave up two runs in six innings at home against the Cardinals.

“In the grand scheme of things you can always second-guess yourself,” Strasburg said. “But I think if I threw a 3-1 changeup there, especially if he’s in swing mode, I probably wouldn’t have had that result.

“Who knows? I’m not going to dwell on it too much, just going to learn from it and move on.”

Strasburg made his first career appearance in St. Louis. He missed the Nationals’ five-game NL division series loss in 2012 after getting shut down the final month due to concerns about a heavy workload.

“It was just fun to finally get a chance to pitch here,” Strasburg said. “I wanted to go out there and give it everything I had and I feel like I did that, so I can sleep easy tonight.”

Jayson Werth had an RBI double in the first for the Nationals, who managed just four hits for a two-day total of six and have scored two runs during a three-game losing streak. It’s their first series loss since losing a pair to Miami from May 26-28, and they will try to avoid a three-game sweep in the series finale Sunday.

“Last three games it just hasn’t been there for us,” manager Matt Williams said. “If we know anything, it can turn around in a hurry. We just have to be prepared for tomorrow.”

On Friday, Adams homered off Jordan Zimmermann on his first swing since coming off the 15-day disabled list from a left calf strain, lifting St. Louis to a 1-0 victory.

The Cardinals batted around in the seventh with the help of two infield hits, a hit batter and two walks, one of them by Matt Holliday with the bases loaded against Drew Storen. Allen Craig added an infield hit off Storen on a slow tapper halfway down the third-base line.

St. Louis reliever Randy Choate (1-2) needed one pitch to escape a bases-loaded threat in the seventh after a strong start from Shelby Miller, who gave up four hits in 6 2-3 innings. Pat Neshek worked a perfect eighth and Trevor Rosenthal finished for his 19th save in 22 chances.

St. Louis pitchers have permitted just one run in the Cardinals’ last five victories, including a pair of 5-0 wins over Toronto and a 1-0 victory against Tampa Bay.

Miller matched his season best with seven strikeouts but walked four, including two for Strasburg, batting .077 with two hits on the year. Strasburg’s second walk loaded the bases, but Denard Span grounded out against Choate.

Span went 0 for 4 and is hitless in his last 18 at-bats over the last five games.

Anthony Rendon singled with one out in the first and scored from first on Werth’s double to right-center. Craig made a sliding stop to cut the ball off and couldn’t recover in time.

It was tied in the third after a two-out rally started by Miller’s fourth hit of the season — and third double. The pitcher scored standing up on Matt Carpenter’s single.

NOTES: Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia (2-0, 4.26 ERA) opposes Doug Fister (5-1, 2.68 ERA) on Sunday. Garcia is 3-1 against the Nationals and Fister has won his last five starts. … The game time of 2 hours, 3 minutes for the series opener Friday night was the shortest in the major leagues this season. … The Cardinals have won 11 of the last 13 regular-season meetings with Washington and are 17-2 at home the last two years against the NL East. … The Nationals are 30-2 when scoring four or more runs and 5-30 when scoring three or fewer runs.

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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