MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez hit a two-run homer and 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings with four strikeouts as the Marlins beat the Padres 3-2 on Wednesday afternoon.
Padres' pitcher Dylan Cease (3-10) struggled with control early, walking Miami's first two batters before Augustín Ramírez got the Marlins on the board with a single to center field that drove in Xavier Edwards.
San Diego tied things up in the fourth inning after a throwing error from catcher Nick Fortes advanced Luis Arraez to second, and Manny Machado drove him in with a single to left field. The Padres' run was swiftly put to an end, though, after a double play finished the inning with the score tied at 1-1.
The Marlins came back when Sánchez hit his ninth home run of the season on a fly ball to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting Miami up 3-1. Cease retired the next two batters to escape the inning but was pulled heading into the sixth.
Josh Simpson stepped in as relief for Alcantara in the eighth and gave up a run after pinch-hitter Jose Iglesias hit a single to right field that scored Jackson Merrill. Simpson was quickly replaced by Calvin Faucher, who stranded two runners on base to maintain the one-run lead.
Faucher earned the save after throwing 1 2/3 innings to give the Marlins their second consecutive series win.
Javier Sanoja reached first base on an errant throw, and Sánchez brought two scores in on a 377-foot home run to right field, giving the Marlins an early 3-1 lead.
Alcantara led the charge for the Marlins, posting four strikeouts and zero walks in 98 pitches. He held the Padres' offense to just one run on the afternoon.
Padres' right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish (0-2, 6.08 ERA) is expected to open a four-game series against the Cardinals, while the Marlins have a day off before a three-game series with the Brewers. Miami has not yet announced a starter.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Miami Marlins' Kyle Stowers hits a double in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
San Diego Padres' Luis Arraez runs home on a single by Manny Machado in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Marlins' Jesus Sanchez, right, celebrates after hitting a home run that also brought home Javier Sanoja, left, in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.
An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.
His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.
“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”
Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.
That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.
McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.
“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”
Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”
“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.
This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)
