Kyle Manzardo's 2-run HR helps Guardians beat Mariners 4-3 to tighten AL wild-card race

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kyle Manzardo had a two-run homer in the sixth inning, Gavin Williams struck out eight over seven innings and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Saturday night.

The Guardians have won the first two games in the series to pull within three games of Seattle, which holds the third and final American League wild-card position. The Mariners have lost seven straight on the road and are 5-11 overall since Aug. 13.

Julio Rodríguez hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning against Hunter Gaddis to trim Cleveland’s lead to 4-3, but Cade Smith entered and retired the four batters he faced for his ninth save.

Williams (9-5) scattered four hits and allowed one run — on a Jorge Polanco homer in the seventh — in winning for the sixth time in eight home decisions this season.

Manzardo’s two-run homer off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (4-6) extended the Guardians’ advantage to 3-0. Steven Kwan restored the three-run lead in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single.

Bo Naylor opened the scoring in the fourth with an RBI single that scored José Ramírez.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, the MLB leader with 50 homers, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

Left fielder Kwan robbed Josh Naylor of an extra-base hit in the sixth, sprinting toward center to make a diving catch that preserved Cleveland’s 1-0 lead. Julio Rodríguez would have scored from first base on the play.

Williams leads the majors with 73 walks, but only issued one to J.P. Crawford in the fifth. The right-hander has made 10 consecutive starts without allowing more than five hits.

Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (3-5, 5.98 ERA) takes on Guardians RHP Tanner Bibee (9-10, 4.73 ERA) Sunday in the series finale.

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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams delivers against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh reacts after a strike out by Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Bo Naylor, right, watches his RBI single off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert along with catcher Cal Raleigh during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Seattle Mariners' Luke Raley, left, congratulates Jorge Polanco, right, after his solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Kyle Manzardo reacts after hitting a two-run home run off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

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)