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Dodgers routed by Rockies 16-2, NL West lead cut

By WTOP Staff

PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer

DENVER (AP) — Clayton Kershaw and a few of his teammates gathered on the couch, eyes glued to the flat-screen TV. They were rooting on Arizona against rival San Francisco.

No such luck, though. The Giants won and the NL West race just got a lot tighter.

Nothing went right for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

Justin Morneau tied a season high with six RBIs, including five as part of an eight-run first inning against spot starter Carlos Frias, and the Colorado Rockies routed the Dodgers 16-2.

Los Angeles now leads the Giants by two games in the division.

Frias (0-1) gave up 10 hits, including seven straight to start the game, and eight runs before being pulled after recording only two outs. According to information provided to the teams by the Elias Sports Bureau, he’s the first pitcher in the modern era to allow 10 hits while getting less than three outs.

Still, manager Don Mattingly is contemplating bringing Frias back for another turn in the rotation. He doesn’t have many options if the sore left shoulder of Hyun-Jin Ryu isn’t better by next week. Ryu will test it out later this week in Chicago.

“You only have ‘X’ amount of starters for that spot,” Mattingly said. “You choose what’s best for that spot and you move on.”

The harder Frias seemed to throw, the harder the Rockies seemed to hit the baseball.

“It was a bad day,” Frias said through a translator. “Can’t really chalk it up to anything other than a bad day.

“All I can do is put it behind me and look forward to the next outing.”

Morneau hit a three-run homer and a two-run single in the opening frame as the Rockies chased Frias after just two outs. Morneau and Carlos Gonzalez are the only Rockies players to drive in five runs in an inning.

“You play this game a long time you see some things you’ve never seen,” Morneau said. “Obviously, having guys on base is important. You wouldn’t expect us to come out against a guy like that who’s got really good stuff. He was a guy we were ready for and we were able to get some hits.”

Charlie Blackmon went 5 for 5 with a solo homer as the Rockies took two of three from the Dodgers, who trailed 15-0 after six innings against the team with the worst record in the league.

Morneau had three hits and a sacrifice fly, raising his average to .320 and leaping over Pittsburgh’s Josh Harrison for the NL batting lead.

Jorge De La Rosa (14-11) gave up two hits in six scoreless innings to improve to 10-2 at home this season.

“You’ve seen some strange things in this park,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “There’s a lot of game left and Jorge did a good job of keeping them down.”

The hard-throwing Frias didn’t record a traditional out, either, in his 38-pitch appearance. He got one when catcher Tim Federowicz threw out Corey Dickerson on a steal attempt and another when Wilin Rosario tried to score from third on a squeeze play.

“It’s almost like everything you call gets hit,” Federowicz said. “Just one of those things.”

This hardly looked like the same Dodgers team that was coming off a big series win in San Francisco that included a 17-0 romp over the Giants. Los Angeles is chasing Washington for the best record in the NL.

The Dodgers needed an eight-run sixth inning to get by the Rockies on Monday, and then stranded runner after runner Tuesday in a 10-4 loss.

Once the Rockies roughed up Frias, Mattingly steadily began taking out his position players as the Rockies set a season high for runs.

“I was just getting guys off their feet,” Mattingly said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: SS Hanley Ramirez wasn’t in the starting lineup for a second straight day due to a strained right elbow. Mattingly said he thinks Ramirez will be ready to play in Chicago.

Rockies: 3B Nolan Arenado remains sidelined with a bruised chest and pneumonia.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: RHP Zack Greinke (15-8) takes the mound Thursday to begin a four-game series in Chicago against the Cubs. The righty needs nine strikeouts to reach 200 for the season.

Rockies: LHP Yohan Flande (0-5) moves back into the rotation after spending the last month as a reliever. He’ll try for his first major league win when the Rockies host Arizona on Thursday.

ON THIS DATE

Former Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo threw the only no-hitter at Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, in a 9-0 win.

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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