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Dbacks hold on to beat Reds 5-4

By WTOP Staff

JOE KAY
AP Baseball Writer

CINCINNATI (AP) — Left-hander Wade Miley didn’t feel all that great. Against the Reds, it didn’t matter.

Miley blanked Cincinnati into the seventh inning, Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer, and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on for a 5-4 victory on Wednesday, taking a series between two teams with struggling offenses.

Goldschmidt’s 19th homer off Alfred Simon (12-6) gave the Diamondbacks two of three in the series. Simon has gone 0-3 since his first All-Star selection. Didi Gregorius added a two-run homer in the ninth.

Two homers in one game?

“That’s something we haven’t been doing a lot lately,” manager Kirk Gibson said.

Neither team had been doing much of anything.

The Reds fell to 2-10 since the All-Star break. Devin Mesoraco’s three-run homer in the ninth off Addison Reed ended a streak of 11 straight games with three runs or fewer, Cincinnati’s longest such stretch of futility since 1967.

Miley (7-7) gave up seven hits and four walks in 6 2-3 innings, improving to 4-1 in his past five starts. He never felt comfortable, but still had enough to keep Cincinnati scoreless in a tight game.

“As a starter, you’ve got to find a way to keep ’em at bay,” Miley said. “If you don’t have any runs, you can’t give them any runs. It was just as struggle today. I was able to make it through it.”

Ryan Ludwick had RBI double in the eighth off Brad Ziegler. Reed came on with two aboard and got the last two outs and gave up Mesoraco’s homer before getting his 26th save in 31 chances.

The series opened with Arizona’s 2-1 win in 15 innings on Monday. The Reds won the second game 3-0, leaving Arizona with a stretch of only one run in 20 innings.

Both teams wasted chances for early rallies throughout the series. The Reds did it again on Wednesday, when Chris Heisey was thrown out at second while trying to stretch a hit with none out in the third. Ramon Santiago was caught trying to steal third later in the inning.

ON DECK

Diamondbacks: Arizona opens a 10-game homestand on Thursday with the first of four games against the Pirates. Josh Collmenter (8-5) goes against LHP Jeff Locke (2-2). … Goldschmidt is 11 for 22 in his past five games against the Pirates and .333 against them in his career.

Reds: Cincinnati plays four games at Miami starting Thursday, with Johnny Cueto (11-6) making his first start against the Marlins since 2012. Tom Koehler (7-7) starts for Miami. … The Reds have won their past five games against the Marlins.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: INF Cliff Pennington, on the DL with a sprained left thumb, is 7 for 12 in three games on a rehab assignment.

Reds: Right-handed reliever Logan Ondrusek, on the 15-day DL with a sore pitching shoulder, threw without a problem for a second straight day. He’s not ready to get back on the mound yet. He went on the DL on July 22. … Slumping CF Billy Hamilton was out of the starting lineup, getting rest. He pinch-hit in the ninth and singled, leaving him 2 for 20.

WAITING, WAITING, WAITING

Both teams were curious about whether their front offices would make a deal with Thursday’s deadline for non-waiver deals approaching. The Diamondbacks have several players who could be attractive to contenders. The Reds were looking to upgrade their lineup. “I think we’re looking to get better,” manager Bryan Price said. “I don’t think there’s any question about that. I don’t see us as a team looking to 2015.”

THAT’S A LOT OF NUMBERS

Cincinnati’s Kristopher Negron got caught in an extended rundown between second and third when Ramon Santiago grounded back to Miley in the seventh inning. The putout was scored 1-5-6-4-1-6-4.

No. 1

Gibson’s 337th victory as the Diamondbacks manager ties Bob Melvin for most in franchise history.

STATS

It’s the first time Arizona has won a series at Great American Ball Park since 2011. … The Diamondbacks won their first road series since June 27-29 at San Diego. … Simon struck out two, giving him a career-high 84 for the season. He fanned 83 with Baltimore in 2011, the last time he was a starter.

___

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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