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Santana gives up slam, Braves fall to Brewers 6-1

By WTOP Staff

CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Following a dominant opening month, Ervin Santana has found trouble in May.

The low point was allowing the first grand slam of his career.

Santana suffered his second straight ugly loss and the Atlanta Braves’ modest three-game winning streak ended with a 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.

Mark Reynolds hit a first-inning grand slam off Santana and Carlos Gomez added a two-run homer in the fourth.

Santana (4-2) said he struggled with location as he allowed a season-high six runs on nine hits and four walks in seven innings.

“I was a little bit off the outside corner,” Santana said, adding he pulled his arm too much toward first base.

“That’s why I didn’t have the location,” he said. “But after that I just re-focused and tried to hit my spots.

“It was almost every pitch. In the first few innings I didn’t have any location. For the most part I was trying to keep the ball down. That’s what happens when you make mistakes.”

The Brewers’ two homers matched the total allowed by Santana in his first seven starts.

Santana has set season highs for runs allowed in two straight starts. The right-hander allowed five runs on 10 hits in five innings of a 5-2 loss at St. Louis on Friday.

“Health-wise, he’s fine,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who called Santana’s pitch that Reynolds hit over the left-field wall “a cement-mixer slider.”

“We’ve just got to eliminate some of those,” Gonzalez said.

Santana, 3-1 with a 1.95 ERA in April, has seen his ERA climb to 3.42.

Kyle Lohse (6-1) was sharp while going eight innings to win his sixth straight decision as the Brewers ended a four-game losing streak. He gave up one run on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Lohse’s only loss of the season came against the Braves on April 1.

Six of Milwaukee’s first seven batters reached base. Gomez singled, Scooter Gennett doubled and Jonathan Lucroy took a one-out walk before Reynolds’ third career grand slam.

“It was big. We’ve been struggling the past couple of games,” Reynolds said. “Give Lohse some breathing room.”

The Braves scored their only run off Lohse in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton, who had three hits. Lohse did not allow another baserunner to reach second base. Atlanta’s only other hits off Lohse were singles by Jason Heyward in the third and Upton in the seventh.

“It seemed like he hit all the quadrants of the strike zone: in, up, down and away with all his pitches,” Gonzalez said.

“He mixed it well. He kept us off balance.”

Freeman said the Braves’ batters “were aggressive,” but couldn’t take advantage of opportunities.

“He made a lot of mistakes, we just popped them all up, it seemed like,” Freeman said. “We just didn’t get it done tonight.”

Upton had a two-out single off Rodriguez in the ninth before Chris Johnson’s third strikeout ended the game.

The Brewers took advantage of Santana’s two-out walk to Lohse in the fourth. Gomez followed with a high homer, his 10th, over the center field wall.

Gomez circled the bases without incident, avoiding a repeat of an ugly melee on Sept. 25, 2013. Gomez was slow to leave the batter’s box following a homer in that game at Turner Field, and he exchanged words with Braves infielders as he circled the bases and then was blocked at home plate by former Atlanta catcher Brian McCann. That led to a brawl that emptied both dugouts.

NOTES: Braves C Evan Gattis missed his second straight game with viral symptoms, but was available off the bench. … Lohse improved to 4-0 in six career starts at Turner Field. … The four-game series ends Thursday night with Braves RHP Aaron Harang facing Brewers RHP Matt Garza.

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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