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Brewers beat Dodgers with 2 HRs off Kershaw

By WTOP Staff

JOE RESNICK
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — On a night when Clayton Kershaw couldn’t keep the ball in the ballpark, Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo held the Los Angeles Dodgers in check and sent the major leagues’ ERA leader to his first loss in over 2 1-2 months.

Gallardo pitched eight strong innings, Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez homered, and the Brewers ended Kershaw’s streak of 11 straight victories with a 3-2 win over the Dodgers on Saturday night.

Gallardo (8-6), who threw 96 pitches, allowed a run and six hits with three strikeouts and a walk. The right-hander has won back-to-back starts for the first time since his first two outings of the season.

“Yo was just outstanding,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “He had great command and an outstanding fastball. He pitched off the fastball the whole game, mixing in his slider and curveball. He really dominated. That’s a good club, so you can’t mess around and make mistakes against them.”

Francisco Rodriguez got three outs for his major league-leading 38th save and 342nd of his career, despite giving up a leadoff homer to Matt Kemp in the ninth.

Rodriguez, who broke a tie with Hall of Famer and former Brewers closer Rollie Fingers for 11th place on baseball’s career list, has passed 11 players this season.

Kershaw (14-3) pitched his 17th complete game in 202 career starts. He allowed five hits and no walks while striking out 11.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner and three-time defending major league ERA champ had a 1.16 ERA over his previous 13 starts since his last loss on May 28 against Cincinnati.

“It comes down to (the fact that) I got outpitched,” Kershaw said. “Yovani pitched better than I did and we lost the game. I just made more mistakes than he did and it showed up on the scoreboard.

“It’s funny, I felt like I pitched so much better than I did in Milwaukee. I got lucky in Milwaukee, and I’m paying for it here.”

Last Sunday, Kershaw held the NL Central-leading Brewers to one run in eight innings in a 5-1 victory.

“He’s the best pitcher in baseball and he’s been on an incredibly great run,” Braun said. “It’s extremely difficult to beat him, and it hasn’t happened much this year. So for us to do that is an impressive accomplishment and something we’re proud of.

“To split those two games he started is encouraging for us.”

Justin Turner had an RBI single in the fourth for the Dodgers, whose third loss in four games reduced their NL West lead over San Francisco to 4 1-2 games following the Giants’ 6-5 win over Philadelphia.

Braun heard taunts of “Cheat-er, cheat-er” from the crowd of 50,849 as he dug in against Kershaw in the fourth inning. He temporarily silenced them with an opposite-field drive that barely cleared the right field fence and the leaping attempt of Kemp — who was runner-up to Braun for NL MVP honors in 2011.

The two-run homer was the 15th shot this season for Braun, who was suspended for the final 65 games last season and the playoffs for violating baseball’s drug policy.

Gomez drove Kershaw’s first pitch of the sixth inning into the Dodgers bullpen in left field for his 19th homer.

“I think one of our biggest strengths is that we have guys up and down the lineup who have the ability to hit home runs and drive the ball for extra-base hits,” Braun said. “When you face pitching that’s this good, sometimes you don’t get many opportunities.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Matt Garza, sidelined because of a strained left oblique, played catch for the second straight day.

Dodgers: 3B Juan Uribe was placed on the disabled list because of an injured right hamstring for the second time this season. He is the seventh Dodgers player to go on the DL this month, joining SS Hanley Ramirez and pitchers Josh Beckett, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Paul Maholm, Chris Perez and Paco Rodriguez.

UP NEXT

Brewers: Wily Peralta (14-7, 3.46 ERA) is 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA in his last six starts since giving up a career-worst nine runs in a 9-7 home loss to the Phillies.

Dodgers: Dan Haren (10-9, 4.50) is coming off victories over the Angels and Braves. He will attempt to win three consecutive starts for the first time since last July 27-Aug. 9, when he beat the Mets, Brewers and Phillies and went seven innings each time.

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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