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Cueto wins 19th, Reds beat Brewers 3-1

By WTOP Staff

JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer

CINCINNATI (AP) — With another dominating performance, Johnny Cueto kept his hopes of a 20-win season in play.

Cueto allowed one run over eight innings, and Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco hit back-to-back homers on Tuesday night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 victory that pushed the Milwaukee Brewers to the verge elimination from wild card contention.

Cueto (19-9) gave up four hits, including Carlos Gomez’s homer. He’ll pitch Cincinnati’s final game on Sunday against Pittsburgh at Great American Ball Park with a chance for win No. 20.

“That would feel really good,” he said. “I’ve never had a 20-game season. I hope I feel like I felt today.”

The Reds haven’t had a 20-game winner since left-hander Danny Jackson in 1988. The last Reds right-hander to win 20 games was Sammy Ellis in 1965.

“He was phenomenal,” manager Bryan Price said. “He was really in command after the first inning.”

The Reds got the better of a matchup between teams with huge second-half fades. The Reds are 22-40 since the All-Star break.

Milwaukee led the NL Central for 150 days, but fell apart at the end. Up by 6 ½ games on June 28, the Brewers have gone 29-45 and fallen far behind Pittsburgh and San Francisco in the wild card race. Their loss on Tuesday was their 19th in 26 games.

“It’s always tough,” said Mike Fiers (6-4). “We kind of gave it away. We had a lot of opportunities. It was in our hands.”

Frazier and Mesoraco connected in the first inning off Fiers. It was Frazier’s 28th homer, the most by a third baseman in the National League. Mesoraco’s homer was his 25th. He leads the majors in homers by a catcher.

That’s all that Cueto needed.

“A two-run lead with him feels like five or six with other guys,” Mesoraco said.

Milwaukee’s offense has unraveled in the closing weeks of the season, scoring two or fewer runs in each of the last six games. Gomez hit a solo homer in the sixth, ending a streak of 14 consecutive batters retired by Cueto. The right-hander walked one and struck out seven.

Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 34th save in 36 chances, fanning Ryan Braun with two runners aboard to end it.

The Brewers had chances in the first inning, when they had two singles and a walk but failed to score. Gomez singled and was picked off first base. Scooter Gennett walked but was thrown out at the plate while trying to score from second base on Aramis Ramirez’s single.

BAD AT GABP

The Brewers have lost 13 of their last 18 games at Great American Ball Park and 31 of their last 43. Overall this season, the Reds are 9-8 against Milwaukee, including 6-2 at GABP.

STATS

Fiers’ five innings matches his season low as a starter. … Gomez was caught stealing for the 12th time. … It’s the second time Cueto has won 19 games in a season. He went 19-9 in 2012. … CF Billy Hamilton threw Gennett out at the plate in the first inning. It was his 10th assist, the most by any center fielder in the NL and any rookie outfielder in the majors.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: 1B Joey Votto continues to take batting practice and infield practice, but it’s still unclear whether he’ll play this week. Votto has missed 94 games because of strained muscles above his left knee. He’s been out since July 6 on his second DL stint.

UP NEXT

Brewers: Kyle Lohse (12-9) makes his fifth start against the Reds this season. He’s 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA in the other four. Overall, he’s 6-5 career against Cincinnati with a 2.90 ERA.

Reds: Daniel Corcino (0-1) makes his third career start. Corcino, who was called up this month, made his first major league start at Milwaukee on Sept. 12 and gave up two runs in six innings. The Reds lost 3-2.

___

Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay

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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