MILWAUKEE (AP) — The first-place Milwaukee Brewers finished a grueling stretch of 19 games in 18 days by dealing with one more potential loss to their injury-riddled bullpen.
Shelby Miller left with an injury in the eighth inning of the Brewers' 10-8 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
“He felt something pop in his elbow,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game while adding that the right-hander would undergo testing.
Miller had just thrown a pitch to Max Kepler when he reacted in discomfort before leaning forward and putting his hands on his knees. After Brewers officials went to the mound to check on him, Miller headed into the dugout as Rob Zastryzny came out of the bullpen with a 2-2 count on Kepler.
Miller, who owns a 2.74 ERA in 48 appearances this season, was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. The Brewers activated Miller from the injured list on Aug. 8 after the 34-year-old missed about a month with a right forearm strain.
The Brewers own the best record in the majors and lead the Chicago Cubs by 5 1/2 games in the NL Central after going 9-10 in this brutal 18-day stretch. But the health of their bullpen is a major concern.
All-Star closer Trevor Megill went on the injured list last week with a right flexor strain. Left-hander DL Hall (right oblique) and right-hander Grant Anderson (right ankle) also are on the injured list.
All those injuries have put a strain on Milwaukee's remaining relievers, which was apparent Monday as the Brewers squandered early leads of 4-0 and 5-1. That matched the biggest lead Milwaukee has blown in a loss this season.
After Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings, the Phillies scored three runs off Nick Mears in the sixth inning, two off Miller in the eighth and two off Abner Uribe in the ninth.
"You watch 162 games, your bullpen's going to let you down sometimes," Murphy said. “It's just what happens. Is it because of the long stretch? I'm certain that doesn't help.”
That bullpen will get a welcome break Tuesday when the Brewers have their first day off since Aug. 14. Then they're back at American Family Field on Wednesday to resume this series with the NL East-leading Phillies in a potential playoff preview.
“I'd be lying to you if I told you the past few days of this stretch has been easy,” Uribe said through an interpreter. “But at the same time, we have the off day tomorrow in which I think we're going to be able to bounce back as a whole and everybody will be ready to go.”
The frustrations of this long stretch boiled over in the ninth inning when the Phillies staged their winning rally with the help of a controversial call.
Uribe walked Kyle Schwarber to start the inning, then struck out Bryce Harper before reaching a 3-2 count on J.T. Realmuto. The next pitch was low and outside, and Realmuto started to offer at it before attempting to check his swing.
After Realmuto was awarded first base, Murphy came out of the bench to argue that the batter had gone around and was unable to check his swing. Murphy got ejected from the game by first-base umpire Jim Wolf, then Brandon Marsh hit an RBI single to put Philadelphia ahead for good.
“Umpires have a hard job,” Murphy said. “They have a hard job. What I don't like is when they're definitive they got it right, and then I see what I see after the game, and you can see the barrel's out in front of his front leg. Tell me how the barrel can be in front of his front leg at any moment, and it not be a swing.”
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Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shelby Miller reacts as he walks off the field during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
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)
