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Johnson roughed up as Twins topped by Rockies 6-2

By WTOP Staff

DENNIS GEORGATOS
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Called up to pitch in place of the injured Ricky Nolasco, Kris Johnson had a rough go of it.

Johnson gave up a two-run homer to Drew Stubbs before recording an out, and the Minnesota Twins fell to the Colorado Rockies 6-2 on Friday night in the teams’ first interleague meeting at Coors Field in six years.

Johnson (0-1), recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, went four innings and gave up five runs on eight hits, including another two-run homer, in the third inning by All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

“I just wasn’t making enough quality pitches. I paid for it,” Johnson said. “Especially Stubbs’ home run and Tulowitzki’s. The balls were up and over the plate. That’s what is going to happen. Especially in a ballpark like this.”

Jorge De La Rosa (10-6) pitched six innings of one-run ball for Colorado. He walked one and struck out three in winning his fourth straight.

The Rockies also benefited from the return of Carlos Gonzalez, who missed the previous 35 games because of a benign tumor on his left index finger that had to be excised surgically.

He singled ahead of Tulowitzki’s home run and made two sparkling defensive plays in right field: a sliding catch in foul territory on a popup by Eduardo Nunez and whipping a throw to third base on the fly to nail Brian Dozier. He was trying to advance from first base on Kendrys Morales’ single.

“He made some pitches,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of De La Rosa. “We hit some balls pretty hard. They made some nice plays. Dozier got thrown out at third base and their guy (Gonzalez) throws a pellet to third base. Their defense made some plays behind him. He got in some jams and got out of innings. He kept us off the board.

Brandon Barnes added a pinch-hit home run off reliever Matt Guerrier in the seventh inning.

Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau, who played in Minnesota for 11 years and ranks third in team history with 221 homers, went hitless in four at-bats in his first game against his former team. He’ll return to Minnesota next week for All-Star game festivities as a member of the NL home run derby team.

Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki was shaken up after fouling a ball off his left heel in the third inning. He stayed in the game, but Gardenhire said he’d be rested Saturday.

“He’s not going to allow us to take him out there,” Gardenhire said. “He won’t be playing tomorrow. He will sit. He will be back out there Sunday.”

Nolan Arenado tripled to start the second and scored when Wilin Rosario followed with a single.

Gonzalez singled to start the fourth before Tulowitzki connected for his 21st homer of the season, tying Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton for the NL lead. It’s also the most home runs Tulowitzki has had in his career before the All-Star break.

The Twins got a run in the second on Nunez’s run-scoring groundout and a second on his eighth-inning fielder’s choice grounder.

NOTES: The Twins traveled to Coors Field for the second time in team history and the first since May 2008, when the team went 1-2 on its inaugural trip to Colorado. … Johnson was making his second start of the season for the Twins and the sixth of his major league career. … Minnesota’s Kevin Correia (4-11) is set to pitch Saturday’s second game of the weekend interleague series against Colorado’s Tyler Matzek (1-3).

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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