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Brewers waste Garza outing in 4-3 loss to Arizona

By WTOP Staff

BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Except for one big swing by Khris Davis, the Milwaukee Brewers’ offense took Wednesday night off.

That wasted a strong outing by Matt Garza in a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Light-hitting Tony Campana singled home Martin Prado from third base with two outs in the ninth inning for the winning run.

Garza left after 7 2-3 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, and seven hits. He struck out four and walked none.

“I kept on making pitches,” he said. “There were groundballs and groundballs, that’s it. Some fluke plays and that is all there was.”

Manager Ron Roenicke said the NL Central-leading Brewers need Garza to pitch this well.

“Hopefully we’ll play better behind him,” Roenicke said.

Brad Ziegler (3-1), who gave up the deciding grand slam in Tuesday night’s 7-5 Milwaukee victory, retired all four batters he faced, three by strikeout, to get the victory.

In the ninth, Prado doubled with one out to deep left center off Brandon Kintzler (1-3), advanced to third on David Peralta’s groundout, then scored when Campana slapped one up the middle.

Campana’s first career walk-off hit raised his batting average to a whopping .150.

“It was cool. I don’t think I’ve ever done it in the minor leagues, either,” he said. “If I’m here, I’m happy.”

The speedy Campana made the big league club out of spring training but, after going 1 for 30 at the plate, was sent down to Triple-A Reno on May 1. He was called back up last Friday.

Ziegler said he wasn’t looking for any retribution.

“I don’t know what the TV broadcasters got going. They’re probably bringing up yesterday a lot,” he said, “but we’re not. We’re just watching the game flow. With nine righties in the (Brewers’) lineup, I knew there was a good chance I’d pitch.”

Arizona’s Chris Owings, hit below the back of the head by a pitch from Kyle Lohse on Tuesday night, was a home run shy of the cycle. He was robbed of a fourth hit by a diving stop by first baseman Mark Reynolds.

Jonathan Lucroy’s grand slam on Tuesday came one pitch after reliever Evan Marshall hit Ryan Braun with a pitch and was ejected. Wednesday’s game had no such drama.

“We didn’t do a lot offensively,” Roenicke said. “We just had the one inning with Davis hitting a three-run homer. Besides that, we didn’t swing the bats very well”

Arizona starter Wade Miley also went 7 2-3 innings and matched Garza virtually pitch for pitch. Miley gave up three runs and five hits, striking out eight with no walks.

Miley retired 10 straight, striking out Ricky Weeks and Braun to start the eighth, but walked Lucroy and Carlos Gomez. That ended Miley’s night. Ziegler came in and fanned Aramis Ramirez.

Garza retired 15 of 16 before Owings’ one-out double in the eighth. Paul Goldschmidt’s groundout moved Owings to third, but Brewers setup man Will Smith came on to strike out Miguel Montero and end the threat.

Miley had fanned four straight when Lucroy led off the fourth with a single. Gomez, back after sitting out two games with a sore hamstring, moved Lucroy to third with a single, extending his hitting streak to 14 games, matching his career-best. Davis then hit the first pitch into the swimming pool area in right to tie it at 3-3.

Arizona got two in the Brewers’ sloppy first inning, one unearned.

Gerardo Parra tripled down the right field line, then Owings singled him home. Goldschmidt followed with a grounder to the second baseman Weeks, whose errant soft toss to shortstop Jean Segura covering second left both runners safe. Montero followed with a grounder to short for what looked to be an inning-ending double play. Segura threw to Weeks for the force at second, but the throw to first bounced in the dirt and the runner was safe, allowing the second run to score.

In the third, Owings tripled off the center field wall and scored when Goldschmidt singled for his 52nd RBI.

The Diamondbacks will try to salvage a split of the four-game series Thursday.

NOTES: Gibson says his scathing comments on Braun’s PED use in 2011 season had nothing to do with Braun getting plunked Tuesday night. … In the series finale on Thursday, Milwaukee will start Yovani Gallardo (4-4, 3.51 ERA) and Arizona goes with Chase Anderson (5-1, 3.23).

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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