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Adams. Taveras help Cardinals beat Brewers 5-3

By WTOP Staff

JOE DiGIOVANNI
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Lance Lynn kept his cool when St. Louis made three errors in the first inning, and the Cardinals’ lineup rewarded the veteran for his composure.

Lynn pitched six effective innings, and St. Louis used a pair of homers to beat the sliding Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 on Saturday night.

“When you look up and you threw five or six pitches and there’s three errors on the board and there’s two runs, that’s not exactly what you game planned for to start the game,” Lynn said. “That’s all that happened and we ended up winning, so it was a good night for us.”

Matt Adams and Oscar Taveras each hit a two-run homer as St. Louis won for the seventh time in eight games to open a four-game lead in the NL Central. Trevor Rosenthal got three outs for his 43rd save in 48 chances.

The Brewers have lost 10 of 11. Ryan Braun had an RBI single in the first, and Lyle Overbay doubled home a run in the sixth.

Milwaukee right-hander Kyle Lohse (12-9) lasted just four innings. He allowed five runs and four hits with two walks.

Adams connected in the first for his 14th homer. Taveras went deep in the fourth for his third of the year, lifting the Cardinals to a 5-2 lead.

St. Louis finished with just four hits and its defensive trouble in the first led to a pair of unearned runs.

Adams booted a leadoff grounder to first, allowing Scooter Gennett to reach. Left fielder Matt Holliday made two errors on one play, with Gennett scoring on Braun’s single and Gerardo Parra coming home on the fielding circus.

Lynn (15-8) allowed an earned run and five hits while improving to 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his last six starts. He struck out six and walked four.

Lynn has won at least 15 games in three consecutive seasons. Manager Mike Matheny said the right-hander would let miscues upset him and affect his pitching in past years, but he just figures out how to get out of trouble now.

“It’s amazing because his stuff would look so good in years past, but all of a sudden he’d let his emotions get the best of him,” Matheny said.

Since starting the season 20-8, the Brewers are 54-60. Six of their seven hits Saturday night were doubles, but Milwaukee went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

Sixteen of the Cardinals’ final 20 games are against teams with losing records.

Lohse struck out five and walked two while falling to 1-4 with a 7.01 ERA in his last six starts.

“I just haven’t pitched the way I normally do,” Lohse said. “I pitch off my fastball and mix in the other stuff. And I haven’t been able to locate as well. Just get back to work tomorrow and fix it.”

SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE

Braun tried to score on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and was called safe by Jerry Meals on a close play. Matheny challenged the call and it was ruled a double play when the replay showed catcher Yadier Molina putting the tag on Braun.

MILESTONE

Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks doubled with two outs in the ninth for his 1,000th career hit and received a standing ovation. He is the 12th player in Brewers history to get 1,000 hits with the franchise.

PITCHING WOES

During their 1-10 slump, Brewers starters have a 6.59 ERA (42 earned runs in 57 1-3 innings). The team has averaged only 2.5 runs per game in that span.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Adams was slow to get up after diving for a foul ball in the fourth inning, but nodded to the Cardinals’ dugout that he was OK and stayed in the game.

Brewers: OF Carlos Gomez (left wrist sprain) could return to the starting lineup as soon as Monday, but the Brewers will monitor him closely before deciding, manager Ron Roenicke said.

ON DECK

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (16-9) has a 5.50 ERA (11 earned runs in 18 innings) over his last three starts, and will face the Brewers in the finale of the four-game series.

Brewers: Jimmy Nelson (2-6) is 0-4 in his last five starts. In his only start against the Cardinals this year, he allowed eight runs in just 4 1-3 innings in St. Louis’ 10-2 win on July 12.

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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