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Dodgers fall to Reds 4-1, split 4-game series

By WTOP Staff

JOE KAY
AP Baseball Writer

CINCINNATI (AP) — Even with two losses at the end of their trip, the Los Angeles Dodgers were satisfied with how they’d spent the past week away from home.

Now comes the challenge they haven’t met all season: Win at Dodger Stadium.

Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer off Zack Greinke, who lost his perfect record at Great American Ball Park, and the Cincinnati Reds beat Los Angeles 4-1 on Thursday afternoon for a split of their four-game series.

The Dodgers completed a 4-3 trip to Colorado and Cincinnati, two hitter-friendly ballparks. Their pitching was solid, but the offense faded at the end, scoring one run in the last two games. They were limited to eight singles on Thursday, including Matt Kemp’s RBI hit in the first inning.

“We played pretty well this trip,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Basically you play at .500 or a little above on the road, you’re going to feel pretty good about it.

“Up to this point, we haven’t been able to make hay at home. That’s the thing that has to change for us. We’ve got to play better at home.”

The Dodgers are 19-14 on the road, one of the best marks in the NL. They’re only 11-16 at home, something that’s hard for them to explain. Also, they haven’t won more than three in a row all season, no matter where they’ve been playing.

“We’ve been playing pretty solid,” Greinke said. “People expect us to win every game, win 10 games in a row. It’s possible, but we’re over .500.”

The Reds won the last two games to finish a 5-5 homestand that left them stuck closer to the bottom of the NL Central than the top.

Greinke (8-3) had been 4-0 in five games at Great American. A slow start cost him his perfect mark. Skip Schumaker opened the Reds’ first with a single, and Frazier followed with his team-high 14th homer on Greinke’s fifth pitch of the game. Joey Votto doubled on the next pitch as well.

Cincinnati would get only one more hit off Greinke, who went six innings before leaving for a pinch-hitter.

“Just baseball, I guess,” Greinke said. “It wasn’t necessarily any worse pitches than the rest of the game, just that Frazier’s hot. A first-pitch slider at the bottom of the zone, you take your chances. But he’s a strong guy and got a homer out of it.”

The Reds added a pair of runs in the eighth, when Zack Cozart doubled and scored on Brandon League’s wild pitch. Ryan Ludwick had an RBI single.

Alfredo Simon (9-3) gave up seven singles in eight innings, joining the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright as the NL’s nine-game winners.

Simon matched his career high with eight innings and held the lead by pitching out of a threat in the seventh with a 2-1 lead. Kemp and Andre Ethier opened with singles. Tim Federowicz flied out too shallow to score the run, and Kemp was caught in a rundown after he tried to score on Miguel Rojas’ grounder. Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke struck out to end the threat.

Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances.

NOTES: The Dodgers start a six-game homestand on Friday against Arizona. LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-2) faces Chase Anderson (5-0). … The Reds play their next six games in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. Homer Bailey (7-3) faces Matt Garza (4-4) on Friday. … LA is 39-22 against the Reds since the start of the 2006 season. …. The Dodgers won a challenge in the first inning, when Brandon Phillips initially was called safe at first base. The replay showed he was out. … SS Hanley Ramirez was out of the lineup for a second consecutive game with a sore throwing shoulder. Mattingly said he got an injection in the shoulder on Wednesday night and felt better a day later. He’s expected back in a couple of days. … Frazier has five homers in his last 11 games.

___

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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