DETROIT (AP) — Jack Flaherty struck out nine batters in seven scoreless innings and the Detroit Tigers went on to beat the Houston Astros 10-0 on Monday night.
Wenceel Pérez, Riley Greene, Trey Sweeney and Colt Keith homered for the Tigers, who were coming off a 5-2 road trip.
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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith, right, slides against Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, left, to steal second base during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros center fielder Jacob Melton catches a line-out by Detroit Tigers designated hitter Riley Greene during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Riley Greene gestures while running the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Flaherty (7-12) allowed three hits and a walk to win for the second time in 12 starts. Former closer Alex Lange, who underwent lat surgery last season, pitched the ninth — his first MLB appearance since May 22, 2024.
Spencer Arrighetti (1-4) gave up five runs on seven hits and four walks in five innings.
Houston loaded the bases on two hits and a walk in the first inning, but Victor Caratini lined out to end the inning. Flaherty only allowed two more runners — a hit batter and a single.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Pérez's 10th homer of the season, and they added four runs in the fifth.
Trey Sweeney tripled in the sixth and scored on Keith's sacrifice fly to make it 6-0. Sweeney hit a three-run homer in the seventh and Keith homered two batters later.
Outfielder Chas McCormick pitched a scoreless eighth for Houston.
The Tigers missed an opportunity for a big inning in the second. With runners on first and second and no one out, Dillon Dingler hit a high fly to left that bounced off the fence. Appearing to think the ball had gone for a home run, the runners ended up advancing one base.
Arrighetti then struck out Sweeney before Javier Báez hit into an inning-ending double play.
Gleyber Torres played in his 1,000th major league game. He entered the game with a .265 batting average, 151 homers, 499 RBIs and 57 stolen bases.
The teams play the second of three games on Tuesday night, with Tigers ace LHP Tarik Skubal (11-3, 2.42 ERA) facing Detroit native RHP Hunter Brown (10-5, 2.45).
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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith, right, slides against Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, left, to steal second base during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Houston Astros center fielder Jacob Melton catches a line-out by Detroit Tigers designated hitter Riley Greene during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Riley Greene gestures while running the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
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)
