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Rivera robbed of tying homer, Padres lose 3-2

By WTOP Staff

BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rene Rivera lifted a shot toward the left-field wall and then watched as Brandon Barnes timed his leap perfectly to rob him of a tying homer.

Barnes’ catch and Drew Stubbs’ tiebreaking home run leading off the eighth led the Colorado Rockies to a 3-2 victory against the Padres on Tuesday night.

“He made a great catch, so you have to tip your hat. That’s baseball,” Rivera said. “I hit it well. I saw it off the bat, it went up and I had good, hard contact. But in Petco sometimes you still have to run hard. He made a great catch.”

Padres manager Bud Black said Rivera “really didn’t click it. But left field here at Petco is doable — smallest part of the park. You don’t have to hit it well to get it out of there in that area. He made a good play. Off the bat, I thought it had a chance just because it’s Petco in left field.”

The Padres, who were trying to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games, were assured of their fourth straight losing season. San Diego (75-82) can still finish with its best record in three seasons. The team went 76-86 in 2012 and 2013.

Stubbs homered on the first pitch from Dale Thayer (4-4) into the Jack Daniel’s party deck atop the right-field wall, his 15th. It was the first run Thayer allowed in nine outings.

Rymer Liriano was shaken up after slamming into the wall trying to make the catch but remained in the game.

Rivera sent a high drive to left opening the Padres eighth, but Barnes leaped to make the catch.

With the potential tying run on second base and two outs in the eighth, Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu made a nice, diving stab of Alexi Amarista’s grounder and threw him out to end the inning.

“Sometimes you have a game you hit 10 bloopers into base hits, sometimes you hit 15 balls hard and they are all outs,” Rivera said.

NL batting leader Justin Morneau went 1 for 4 with an RBI single to drop to .319, two percentage points ahead of Pittsburgh’s Josh Harrison, who also went 1 for 4.

Juan Nicasio (6-6) allowed one hit in a scoreless inning for the win. LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his 23rd save in 26 chances.

Rockies lefty Jorge De La Rosa had allowed only three hits through five scoreless innings when the Padres tied it at 2 in the sixth with three straight two-out hits.

De La Rosa allowed a leadoff single to Jedd Gyorko before striking out Rivera and Yasmani Grandal. Tommy Medica singled before Liriano and Amarista each had an RBI base hit.

Padres lefty Robbie Erlin lasted four innings, allowing two runs and six hits. He was making his second start since missing four months with a sore elbow. He allowed RBI singles by Morneau in the third and LeMahieu in the fourth.

BACK IN TOWN

Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, who started his career with the Padres, chatted with players from both teams before the game.

Winfield once struck fear in Rockies manager Walt Weiss.

“His groundballs had teeth,” said Weiss, a former infielder. “It was not fun playing infield when Dave Winfield came to the plate.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: RHP Odrisamer Despaigne threw in the bullpen as the team contemplates whether to give him another start. Despaigne complained of pain on his right side after his last start Friday against the Giants. Black said an MRI didn’t show any structural damage, just irritation. … OF Carlos Quentin (knees) is going to try and play next year, Black said. Quentin was restricted to 50 games this year.

UP NEXT

Rockies: LHP Yohan Flande (0-5, 4.91 ERA) will make his second start and third appearance against Padres. Flande was a hard-luck, 4-1 loser to San Diego on Aug. 12.

Padres: RHP Joe Wieland (0-0, 4.55) will make his second start of 2014 in San Diego’s home finale.

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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