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Estrada allows 2 homers as Blue Jays beat Brewers

By WTOP Staff

IAN HARRISON
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — No pitcher in baseball has allowed more home runs this season than Milwaukee’s Marco Estrada.

A date against the slugging Toronto Blue Jays only added to Estrada’s lofty total.

Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus hit solo home runs, Drew Hutchison struck out a career-high 10 to snap a two-start losing streak and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Estrada and the Brewers 4-1 on Tuesday.

Toronto leads the majors with 110 home runs this season. They’ve gone deep at least once in 10 of their past 12, hitting 17 homers in that span.

“It’s a very good lineup but I thought I made good pitches today,” Estrada said. “I just got hurt twice, still kept the team in the game. That’s all you can really ask for.”

Estrada has allowed an ML-high 26 home runs, nine more than the next highest total.

Estrada (7-5) lost for the first time in three starts, allowing two runs and six hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out two.

“He threw the ball good,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “To keep these guys to two runs, he did a nice job.”

The Brewers had their four-game road winning streak end as they lost away from home for just the third time in 13 games.

“We didn’t get a lot of hits,” Roenicke said. “A lot of strikeouts, not a lot of hits.”

Hutchison (6-6) came in 1-4 with an 8.13 ERA in six home starts but delivered his best performance of the season at Rogers Centre. The right-hander allowed one run, three hits and two walks in seven innings.

Pitching on an extra day’s rest, Hutchison retired the first 14 batters he faced before outfielder Khris Davis reached on an infield single to shortstop in the fifth. Hutchison followed by getting Lyle Overbay to fly out.

“The ball riding up a little bit with that extra life kind of caught us off guard,” Overbay said. “It wasn’t in the scouting report.”

However, the Brewers did get a late scouting report from leadoff batter Scooter Gennett, who lined out to begin the game and brought a warning back to the bench.

“He came back and said ‘Hey, when his ball is up, it takes off,'” Overbay said. “It kind of looks good coming in so you end up swinging at it anyway.”

The Blue Jays ended a three-game losing streak, one shy of their season high, and won for the third time in 14 meetings with Milwaukee, much to the delight of a Canada Day crowd of 45,088.

Starting for the first time since leaving a June 22 game at Cincinnati with a strained left hamstring, Bautista gave the Blue Jays an early lead with a two-out blast in the first. The homer was his first since June 6 against St. Louis.

“Obviously, adding a guy like Bautista helps,” Estrada said. “He’s one of the better hitters in the game.”

Starting as the designated hitter, Bautista went 1 for 4 with a strikeout. He hopes to return to right field Wednesday.

Rasmus made it 2-0 with a leadoff drive in the fifth.

Milwaukee cut the deficit in half with a two-out rally in the sixth when Gennett singled and scored on Ryan Braun’s double.

The Brewers loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh thanks to a pair of walks and a hit batter, but Hutchison escaped by getting Jean Segura to fly out.

The Blue Jays added two runs in the eighth against reliever Rob Wooten. Melky Cabrera hit an RBI triple and scored on Edwin Encarnacion’s double.

Casey Janssen finished for his 13th save in 15 chances.

NOTES: Elian Herrera replaced Davis in left in the seventh after Davis suffered a strained pectoral muscle sliding into second base. Davis said the injury was “mild.” … Gomez returned after sitting out Sunday’s game with a strained neck. Gomez suffered the injury in an outfield collision with Ryan Braun Saturday. … Segura returned for Milwaukee after missing Sunday’s game with a sore left quadriceps. … The Blue Jays wore special red caps and jerseys to mark the Canada Day holiday. … Brewers RH Wily Peralta (9-5) faces Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (7-4) on Wednesday.

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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