ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras hit three-run homers in the second inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 9-7 on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Willson had with four RBIs and Donovan finished with three hits. Iván Herrera had three hits and two RBIs, including a solo homer in the sixth.
Click to Gallery
San Diego Padres' Xander Bogaerts reacts after hitting a double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals Brendan Donovan (33), Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker, right, celebrate a victory over the San Diego Padres in a baseball game Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado smiles during a pitching change in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Ivan Herrera (48) is congratulated by teammate Alec Burleson (41) after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Sonny Gray (10-4) gave up seven runs — six earned — on 11 hits with five strikeouts in five innings. Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each had three hits for San Diego. Tatis led off the third with a home run and Machado added a two-run shot that made it 7-5.
Contreras drove in Donovan with a two-out double off San Diego Starter Yu Darvish (0-3) in the first.
Victor Scott II drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and move to third on a groundout and scored on Iván Herrera's single to make it 8-5 in the fourth.
Gavin Sheets had an RBI groundout and Xander Bogaerts scored when Bryce Johnson reached on a throwing error in the fifth.
Jordan Walker singled and moved to second when Scott drew a two-out walk before Donovan cleared the bases. Herrera singled and Alec Burleson doubled before Contreras homered to make it 7-2 in the second.
The Cardinals are 173-87 at home against San Diego. Their .665 win percentage is the third- best by one home team against any visitor in MLB history, with a minimum of 100 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
San Diego's Nick Pivetta (10-2, 2.81 ERA) was scheduled to start Friday against Miles Mikolas (5-7, 5.20).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
San Diego Padres' Xander Bogaerts reacts after hitting a double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals Brendan Donovan (33), Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker, right, celebrate a victory over the San Diego Padres in a baseball game Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado smiles during a pitching change in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Ivan Herrera (48) is congratulated by teammate Alec Burleson (41) after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Thursday, July 24, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
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)
