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Cardinals rally from 6 down, beat Brewers 7-6

By WTOP Staff

GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis’ power surge handed the sliding Milwaukee Brewers another demoralizing loss.

Now the Cardinals are just one game back from their familiar perch atop the NL Central.

Matt Holliday hit a solo homer with two outs in the ninth inning off closer Francisco Rodriguez, completing a comeback from a six-run deficit for a 7-6 win Friday night for St. Louis. The Brewers have lost six straight games and 10 of their last 11.

Friday night will go down as one of St. Louis manager Mike Matheny’s most memorable games.

“Just to be able to keep coming and coming and the intensity, the grit, the fight, that to me is just something you just don’t have every once in a while,” Matheny said. “I couldn’t be any more proud.”

Holliday sent the first-pitch changeup from Rodriguez (3-3) into the left-field seats to break the tie. The Cardinals hit four homers and cut the sliding Brewers’ lead in the NL Central to one game.

Trevor Rosenthal wrapped up six shutout innings for the St. Louis bullpen with his 28th save, getting two strikeouts after allowing a leadoff single to Aramis Ramirez in the bottom of the ninth. All-Star setup man Pat Neshek (4-0) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Nick Greenwood and Seth Maness also combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

“What a job,” Matheny said of his relief corps.

It was also a second straight tough loss for the Brewers, who fell 9-1 on Thursday to the Phillies despite Matt Garza taking a no-hit bid into the seventh inning.

Manager Ron Roenicke was ejected in the ninth after arguing a strike call. Afterward, the visibly shaken skipper closed the clubhouse and didn’t take reporters’ questions, citing a death in the family of a player whom he did not name.

“For respect of him right now, we’re not going to let anybody in the clubhouse,” Roenicke said. “Sorry, but these things are tough and I just don’t want to leave any players open to anything.”

The Cardinals chipped away with three home runs off starter Yovani Gallardo.

Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homer — his team-high 14th — to get St. Louis within 6-5 with one out in the sixth, two pitches after Roenicke visited the mound but decided against pulling Gallardo with the bullpen going.

Gallardo departed after Peralta’s homer, having allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings. The bullpen gave up the lead anyway.

Rob Wooten loaded the bases without retiring a hitter, and lefty-hitting Oscar Tavares drove in the tying run with a grounder against left-handed reliever Zach Duke.

The Brewers tagged Joe Kelly for six runs and seven hits in three innings in his first start back from a nearly three-month stint on the disabled list with a left hamstring injury. Kelly got hurt April 16 at Miller Park.

Kelly plunked leadoff hitter Carlos Gomez just below the palm of his hand and Scooter Gennett singled. After a double steal, Milwaukee loaded the bases and eventually got a sacrifice fly from Ramirez and two-run double from Khris Davis for a 3-0 lead in the first.

Gennett finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored. He tripled in a three-run second inning during an at-bat extended after a fan in the first row down the left-field line reached for a catchable foul ball that eluded Holliday.

The slugger got his revenge in the ninth with his sixth homer of the year and first since June 15, which also was a go-ahead solo shot in the ninth in a 5-2 win over Washington.

“It kind of came in toward me,” Holliday said of Rodriguez’s changeup. “I got the barrel on it, it had good carry to it.”

NOTES: The Cardinals claimed veteran C George Kottaras off waivers from the Cleveland Indians and planned to add him to the 25-man roster Saturday. They’re looking for help behind the plate with Yadier Molina out with a thumb injury. The team said Molina had surgery Friday. … Kolten Wong hit his fourth homer for the Cardinals since coming off the DL on July 6. … Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy will start the All-Star game Tuesday with Molina out. … RHP Marco Estrada spent his first day in the bullpen after being bumped from the rotation for Saturday’s starter, rookie Jimmy Nelson (1-0). RHP ace Adam Wainwright (11-4) goes for St. Louis.

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Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP

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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