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Fiers pitches gem, Brewers beat Dodgers 4-1

By WTOP Staff

GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mike Fiers finished eight brilliant innings with a strikeout, pumping his arms as he walked off the mound to a standing ovation.

The right-hander’s first major league start in more than a year for the Milwaukee Brewers couldn’t have gone any better than the gem he threw in a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

Fiers (1-1) struck out five, while filling in for injured Matt Garza, and Khris Davis and Carlos Gomez homered to give Milwaukee a second straight win in the three-game series between NL divisional leaders.

This outing might mean even more to Fiers, whose 2013 season ended in June in the minors when a line drive broke his right forearm.

“It’s unbelievable,” Fiers said about coming off the mound in the eighth to rousing applause. “It’s what you dream of as a kid, especially those situations — close game, eighth inning trying to get to the best closer in the league.”

Francisco Rodriguez provided some ninth-inning drama after allowing the tying run to come to the plate with two outs, but he got Matt Kemp to ground out for his 35th save. The Dodgers mustered only a solo homer by Adrian Gonzalez, his 17th of the season, into the second deck in right field.

“He had a rough year last year,” manager Ron Roeneicke said about Fiers. “It’s always nice when a guy goes through quite a bit of adversity but bounces back, gets up here and has a game like that.”

Fiers outdueled former Brewers pitcher Zack Greinke (12-8), who gave up Gomez’s homer off the left-field foul pole that made it 3-1 leading off the sixth.

The right-handed Fiers caught the Dodgers chasing 90-mph fastballs high and away early in the game for strikeouts. Besides Gonzalez’s homer in the fourth, the only other hits allowed by Fiers were singles by Dee Gordon and Kemp.

In his previous start for Milwaukee, Fiers gave up seven runs in 1 2/3 innings on June 2, 2013, against the Phillies. He broke his arm nearly two weeks later in Triple-A.

Fiers made 22 starts in the majors in 2012, including a victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles in winning his first big league start. After a tough 2013, Fiers was 8-5 with a 2.55 ERA in 17 starts in Nashville, and made four relief appearances this June with the Brewers.

“It wasn’t like he’s a total mystery,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “He didn’t seem too afraid of us.”

Fiers induced 12 groundball outs Saturday and had the Dodgers walking back to the dugout in frustration. Los Angeles shortstop Miguel Rojas slammed his bat into the ground after a called third strike in the third.

GETTING TO GREINKE

The right-handed Greinke pitched for the Brewers in 2011 and part of 2012 before going to the Angels in a deal that sent shortstop Jean Segura to Milwaukee. Now with the Dodgers, Greinke took his second straight loss at Miller Park after winning his first 15 decisions there.

Davis hit a two-run shot for his 19th homer of the season in the second off a 1-2 pitch that Greinke liked when it left his hand.

“He just set a surprise on me” and catcher A.J. Ellis, Greinke said “There were plenty of mistakes throughout the game besides that one. That was upsetting because it was exactly what I wanted to do.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

DODGERS: Shortstop Hanley Ramirez had an MRI Saturday after leaving Friday night’s game with soreness in his right rib cage muscle, though Mattingly didn’t have the results before the game. Mattingly said he thought Ramirez might have an “oblique-type” injury.

BREWERS: Garza, who went on the disabled list Tuesday with a strained left rib cage muscle, hasn’t started throwing yet but is doing exercises. Roenicke said he thought Garza might need more than the minimum 15 days to recover.

UP NEXT

DODGERS: Ace Clayton Kershaw (13-2) will try to help the Dodgers avoid a three-game sweep. The left-hander hasn’t lost since May 28, going 10-0 in his last 12 starts.

BREWERS: Right-hander Jimmy Nelson (2-2) will try to extend his streak of three straight quality starts.

___

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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