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Pirates hit 4 homers in 10-4 victory over Cubs

By WTOP Staff

JOHN JACKSON
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates had one successful weekend at Wrigley Field. It was so good that even Gerrit Cole had a big swing at the plate.

Cole pitched six-plus innings and hit his first career homer, and the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 10-4 on Sunday to move into the second wild-card slot in the National League.

“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet,” Cole said. “Everybody wants to hit a home run in the show, and it happened at Wrigley, which is really cool.”

The Pirates swept the three-game series against the last-place Cubs to improve to 12-4 against Chicago this season, including 7-2 at Wrigley Field. Coupled with Milwaukee’s 9-1 loss to St. Louis, they moved a half-game ahead of the Brewers for the last wild card.

Cole hit a two-run shot in the seventh for the last of Pittsburgh’s four homers. Neil Walker hit a two-run shot in the first and Jordy Mercer and Andrew McCutchen connected in consecutive at-bats in the second.

“Offensively, we showed up early,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We got some pitches out over the plate and we elevated some and got good swings on them. We played defense, we pitched and we hit a little bit. It was a good weekend for us.”

Cole (8-5) allowed four runs, three earned, and nine hits. He struck out eight and walked none in his first victory since July 4 against Philadelphia.

Chicago had won three in a row before the visit from Pittsburgh. Travis Wood (8-12) was tagged for seven runs and nine hits in 1 2-3 innings, making the left-hander just 1-7 with a 5.86 ERA in his last 15 starts.

“Wasn’t Woody’s day today, obviously,” Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. “They came out swinging.”

The Pirates scored five times in the second to open a 7-0 lead. They strung together six straight hits with two outs, highlighted by the homers for Mercer and McCutchen.

“He was throwing his heater and leaving a lot of stuff over the middle of the plate,” McCutchen said of Wood. “You can’t really do that in this game. We were able to key on that.”

Pittsburgh finished with 19 hits. Walker, McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez had three apiece.

Sanchez hit an RBI single off Eric Jokisch to make it 8-0 in the fourth.

The Cubs had a 19-inning scoring drought before Mike Olt’s RBI single in the fifth. Welington Castillo added an RBI double in the sixth.

Olt went 3 for 3 with a walk, and Matt Szczur had a two-run single in the seventh. Chris Coghlan had two hits and scored a run.

“The offense exploded early and allowed me to try some things out there,” Cole said. “When you’re pitching with a lead like that, you can take some risks here and there. I made some pitches early.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: INF Josh Harrison was out of the lineup for a second straight game after aggravating a left ankle injury in the completion of a suspended game on Saturday. … The Pirates are concerned that INF Pedro Alvarez’s left foot injury is not improving as much they would have hoped. Alvarez is expected to travel with the team to Philadelphia, but the Pirates are considering sending him back to Pittsburgh for further tests.

Cubs: OF Jorge Soler got the day off after playing 14 innings on Saturday. The Cuban rookie missed a major part of the season in the minors with recurring hamstring injuries and the plan is to give him regular rest in hopes that it will help him stay healthy.

UP NEXT

Cubs: RHP Jacob Turner (5-8, 5.54 ERA) goes for his second straight win when he faces RHP Marcus Stroman (9-5, 3.83 ERA) in the first of three games at Toronto on Monday night.

Pirates: LHP Jeff Locke (6-4, 3.75 ERA), who is 4-1 in his past six starts, starts on Monday in Philadelphia. Locke is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies.

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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