ST. LOUIS (AP) — Spencer Steer homered and drove in five runs, helping Brady Singer and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Wednesday.
The Reds (76-76) used 11 hits to take the rubber game of the three-game series. They are hoping to rally into the third NL wild card in the final days of the season.
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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante blows on his hand after giving up a three-run home run to Cincinnati Reds' Spencer Steer during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Cincinnati Reds' Gavin Lux, left, scores on a wild pitch by St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) during the fifth inning of a baseball gameWednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Gorman removes his helmet after striking out to end the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Cincinnati Reds' Emilio Pagan (15) and Jose Trevino celebrate a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals following a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Cincinnati Reds' Austin Hays (12) and Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrate a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals following a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Singer (14-10) permitted two runs, one earned, and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Cincinnati went ahead to stay in the fourth. Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz each drew a one-out walk against Andre Pallante (6-15) before Steer connected for his 18th homer.
Steer collected his third hit when he drove in two runs with a single off Matt Svanson in the seventh, giving the Reds a 6-2 lead.
Alec Burleson hit his 18th homer for St. Louis in the first. The Cardinals (74-79) finished with five hits.
Pallante allowed four runs and six hits in five innings. He is 0-8 in his last nine starts.
The Cardinals went 7-6 against the Reds in the season series.
Steer's 411-foot homer on a 95.2 mph fastball from Pallante had an exit velocity of 106.1 mph.
Singer is 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA in his last seven starts. His 14 wins are a career high.
Reds: RHP Hunter Greene (6-4, 3.01 ERA) starts on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.
Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray (13-8, 4.43 ERA) starts on Friday in the opener of a weekend series against the NL Central-leading Brewers.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante blows on his hand after giving up a three-run home run to Cincinnati Reds' Spencer Steer during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Cincinnati Reds' Gavin Lux, left, scores on a wild pitch by St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) during the fifth inning of a baseball gameWednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Gorman removes his helmet after striking out to end the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Cincinnati Reds' Emilio Pagan (15) and Jose Trevino celebrate a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals following a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Cincinnati Reds' Austin Hays (12) and Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrate a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals following a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, Sept. 17, 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)
