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Greinke pitches, hits Dodgers past Giants

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Zack Greinke smiled wider each time he looked at the scoreboard at AT&T Park.

Four runs of support in the first inning, four more in the second and another four-spot in the sixth — highlighted by Greinke’s first home run of the season.

Greinke (15-8) pitched six scoreless innings and hit his fourth career home run, and the Los Angeles Dodgers romped past the San Francisco Giants 17-0 on Saturday night to build on their lead in the NL West.

“Their lineup’s been about as good as it gets in the past couple of months,” Greinke said of the Giants. “Usually if I get four or five you get a little comfortable with it, but the way they’ve been playing, each extra run was appreciated.”

One day after being held to three hits in a 9-0 loss, the Dodgers doubled that output in the first inning against Giants starter Tim Hudson then coasted behind Greinke.

More important, the Dodgers extended their division lead to two games over the Giants and are guaranteed of leaving this series between the top two teams in the NL West in first place.

“That was a little different game, huh?” Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said. “It was good to get those runs early. It’s one of those games where everything seemed to go our way and then Zack kind of slams the door.”

Greinke combined with three relievers on the shutout and improved to 4-0 in six career starts against the Giants. The right-hander gave up hits to two of the first three batters he faced then retired 16 of the next 18. He struck out five.

Jose Uribe and Scott Van Slyke homered, Hanley Ramirez went 4 for 5 and Matt Kemp had three hits and three RBIs for the Dodgers. Every position player had at least one hit by the second inning, and the team set a major league high for hits (24) this season.

Greinke doubled in the fourth then homered off reliever Mike Kickham in the sixth, a two-run drive that put Los Angeles up 13-0.

The Dodgers scored in six of the first seven innings and knocked Hudson out of the game in the second.

Hudson (9-11) allowed six runs and eight hits in the shortest outing of his 16-year career.

It was almost a complete reversal from a night earlier when San Francisco jumped on Los Angeles left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu for four runs in the first inning.

The loss ended the Giants’ 10-game winning streak at AT&T Park, their longest at home since 2003.

“They punched back,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. “We got knocked out early. We couldn’t get a ball hit at somebody in the first inning and I think that took something out of Huddy.”

LINCECUM NO-NO MEMORIALIZED

The Giants celebrated pitcher Tim Lincecum’s no-hitter on June 25 in a pregame ceremony Saturday and unveiled a plaque along the team’s history walk beyond the right field fence. The two-time Cy Young Award winner also has a plaque for his Game 1 win over Atlanta in the 2010 NLDS when he pitched a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts.

UMPIRE SHUFFLE

Crew chief Jim Joyce will miss the remainder of the series because of an illness. D.J. Reyburn replaced Joyce and worked second base, while Doug Eddings assumed the crew chief duties.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Ryu will leave the team and fly to Los Angeles on Monday to have an MRI on his left shoulder. The 14-game winner will likely skip his next scheduled start. … LHP Paco Rodriguez was activated from the 15-day DL.

Giants: Michael Morse (left oblique strain) could take batting practice Monday. … 1B Brandon Belt (concussion) has been cleared to resume baseball activities and is likely to be activated off the disabled list next week.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (18-3) pitches the series finale and has a 1.40 career ERA in 23 starts against San Francisco.

Giants: RHP Yusmeiro Petit (5-3) is winless in four career starts against Los Angeles.

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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