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Peralta first to 14 wins, Brewers edge Giants 3-1

By WTOP Staff

Joe TOTORAITIS
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wily Peralta even surprised himself with the company he keeps.

Peralta became the first 14-game winner in the majors this season, earning his fifth straight victory and pitching the Milwaukee Brewers past the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Thursday.

“That feels amazing, man,” Peralta said. “There’s a lot of great starting pitchers out there. And to be able to be leading the league, that’s amazing, a great feeling.”

Peralta (14-6) struck out a career-high nine in 6 2-3 innings. He gave up seven hits and walked one.

Peralta had been tied for wins with four pitchers in the NL and two in the AL.

This victory put him on top, even if briefly.

“That’s a thing that I’ve been working hard (for) in the offseason and been working hard in the season, to be on top,” he said.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke has a lot of confidence in his burly right-hander.

“I know it’s on his mind that when we need a good start, he’s going to do whatever he can to give us that start,” Roenicke said. “And, it’s worked well for him. Just continue to give us those good starts. We need the big, strong guy to have innings and keep the run totals down.”

Jake Peavy (0-3) is 0-12 in 18 outings since winning at Toronto while with Boston on April 25. He has lost five straight starts overall.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that it was a tough game for his team facing Peralta and three relievers.

“We saw velocity today,” he said. “All the pitchers that threw at us, they had a lot of good stuff. I’m sure that’s why we had 12 strikeouts.”

Peavy showed some hustle in the fifth. He struck out swinging, but when the ball skipped away from catcher Jonathan Lucroy, he raced to first on the wild pitch. Peavy didn’t even draw a throw and later scored on Hunter Pence’s single.

Peralta might have become rattled in the past with the Giants threatening to score. Not this time.

“That’s a situation where you have to calm down and make your pitches,” Peralta said.

With runners at first and second and no outs, Peralta struck out Buster Posey and then got Pablo Sandoval to hit into a double play.

“I was able to do that today,” Peralta said. Posey and Sandoval, those are two great hitters. I was (able to) strike out Posey, and just trying to make Sandoval make contact and get a ground ball. I was able to find it.”

The key hit was missing when the Giants needed it.

“We did create some pretty good opportunities,” Bochy said. “Just couldn’t get that timely hit today.”

Peavy gave up three runs in 5 2-3 innings in his third start since being acquired from the Red Sox.

“He battled well today,” Bochy said. “He gave us a gutty effort. He kept us there in the game. Gave us a chance. That’s what you want from your starter.”

After escaping a first-inning jam, Peralta pitched effectively until the seventh. He left with two outs and two on, and Jeremy Jeffress retired Hunter Pence on a fly ball to preserve a 3-1 lead.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his 34th save.

It was 1-all until the sixth. Aramis Ramirez doubled and scored on a ground-rule double by Khris Davis, whose soft liner down the right-field line was picked up by a fan. Davis came home on Mark Reynolds’ sacrifice fly to deep left.

Ryan Braun snapped a 0-for-12 skid with a RBI double in the Milwaukee first.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: Outfielder Angel Pagan (back inflammation) was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game and got two hits. He missed 44 games while the Giants went 18-26 with him out of the lineup. Infielder Matt Duffy was optioned to Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Brewers: Second baseman Scooter Gennett was held out of the game in a precautionary move. He played Wednesday night after missing four of the last five games with quadriceps tightness.

UP NEXT

Giants: San Francisco opens a series at Kansas City on Friday night, with Madison Bumgarner (13-8) starting against the Royals’ Jason Vargas.

Brewers: Right-hander Kyle Lohse (11-6, 3.40) starts at home on Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

SMOOTH

Ramirez turned in a sparkling defensive play at third base in the second inning. Andrew Susac hit a hard grounder down the line that Ramirez snared with a diving grab. His momentum carried him a few steps behind the bag in foul territory. He recovered and, from his knees, he threw out Susac.

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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