ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alex Bregman had a homer, two doubles and drove in two runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
Bregman had sat out Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh after going hitless in his previous three games. Against the Cardinals, he snapped out of an 0-for-12 slump with four hits and scored three runs in a game that was delayed an hour and 46 at the start due to rain.
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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher David Peterson throws during the first inning of a baseball game of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn (0) catches the ball for an out against Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner (2) during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
St. Louis Cardinals' José Fermín hits a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman hits an RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
Nico Hoerner also had four hits, including a two-run homer in the ninth as the Cubs banged out 14 hits in the win.
David Peterson (6-7) worked 5 2/3 innings and earned the win. The 30-year-old left-hander, who was acquired on June 25 from the New York Mets, struck out two and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks.
Matthew Liberatore (5-8) was tagged for three runs on eight hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings.
Chicago has won eight of its last 12 games. Since the All-Star break, the Cardinals are 3-8 and slipped to 6-14 in their last 20 games.
Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 million contract during the offseason, drove in Seiya Suzuki with a first-inning double.
The Cubs added a run in the second on a single by Miguel Amaya.
José Fermín hit a first-pitch fastball 407 feet into Big Mac Land in the left field upper deck in the second inning. The two-out homer cut Chicago’s advantage to 2-1.
Bregman led off the third with a first-pitch homer to right field, his 11th of the season. Over the last 11 games, Chicago has hit 12 home runs.
The Cubs extended their lead to 5-1 on a two-run single by Hoerner in the fifth inning.
Masyn Winn and Bryan Torres drove in runs for St. Louis in the sixth.
Cubs RHP Colin Rea (7-7, 4.85) will start the second game in the series. The Cardinals have not named a starter.
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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher David Peterson throws during the first inning of a baseball game of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn (0) catches the ball for an out against Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner (2) during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
St. Louis Cardinals' José Fermín hits a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman hits an RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, July 27, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
SEATTLE (AP) — There were at least three suspects involved in a shootout at a crowded food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend, police said Monday. One of them was among those killed in the violence.
In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case waived his initial appearance Monday, police said they believe there were at least three shooters: the 15-year-old, an acquaintance who died at the scene and “at least one other unknown suspect.” Authorities had earlier said they believed there were two.
Nicole Powell, the Seattle Police Department's assistant chief of investigations, said at a news conference Monday afternoon that investigators believe the shooting may have been gang-related, with two groups firing at each other. The deceased shooter was 19.
A judge ordered the 15-year-old held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault. The King County prosecutor's office said it expected to receive the case from Seattle police on Wednesday for a charging decision.
The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Sunday in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, leaving the 19-year-old shooter and two others dead. At least four others, including a toddler, were injured. The annual three-day festival draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers to Seattle Center, a sprawling park in the shadow of the Space Needle. Many attendees rushed into campus buildings or ran from the park at the sound of the shots.
News that there were at least three suspects followed a series of confusing statements from city officials concerning the shooting.
On Sunday, the police department waited five hours to share with the public that one shooter had been arrested and that they believed another to be on the loose. Earlier, Mayor Katie Wilson had announced two people were in custody, a statement she retracted.
At a news conference before the court hearing Monday, Police Chief Shon Barnes said investigators weren’t sure if the second shooter was among the dead. Neither he nor the mayor made any reference to additional shooters. Barnes had been out of town Sunday, attending a conference of Black law enforcement executives in Dallas.
The officials defended their handling of the case, saying they were trying to ensure they provided accurate information about chaotic events.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office on Monday identified the dead as Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; Ashley Whitehead, 56; and Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19.
Villalba was a husband and father of three known for his kindness and willingness to help others, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched Monday to help his family with funeral expenses. He died from a gunshot wound to his torso, while Whitehead died from a gunshot to her pelvis and Semo died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The four wounded included a 2-year-old boy, two men, ages 23 and 27, and a woman, 39, all of whom were discharged, a hospital spokesperson said.
One of the victims was walking a bicycle when struck, the court document said. The toddler was with his mother.
Vendors were allowed to return to the campus Monday morning to collect their equipment. Skewered squid on grills, roasted ducks in ovens and plates full of food were among the items left behind as people fled.
Near the spot of the shooting, a stain of what appeared to be blood was still visible.
By Monday night, dozens of people gathered among candles and flowers for a vigil at the center. They held a moment of silence and raised up flashlights on their phones to honor those that had been killed, while one woman held a sign that said, “Whitehead Strong.”
Dozens of officers were providing security at the event and responded in seconds, with at least one observing a suspect firing, authorities said. Police searched an IMAX theater on the grounds where they initially believed a second shooter had fled.
Adam Lombardo, who had a Burmese food stand at the festival, described the panic of fleeing people as a “stampede.” As he gathered his equipment Monday, he described how police escorted food vendors back to the crime scene to turn off their ovens and stoves.
“They just came to enjoy a food festival with people, with friends, with new friends, and they lost their lives in just what sounds like meaningless bloodshed," he said.
Moises Perez, 30, was cooking in his apartment next to the Seattle Center when he spotted people running and yelling outside his window. When he opened his door, he heard gunshots and started ushering more than a dozen people, mostly women and children, inside.
“I was like, ‘OK, we need to help these people,’” said Perez, a construction worker who had attended the food festival that morning. He said losing his brother to gun violence in Mexico years ago made him determined to help the people trying to get to safety.
He and his roommate, William Large, 25, made sure the door was locked and started directing people to the bathroom and hallway, and told them they could stay as long as they needed.
“They were definitely in shock. I know that a lot of people were crying, people were screaming, people were just in complete fear," said Large, who works in social services.
About 30 minutes later, Perez walked out to see what had happened. He found a woman shot in the leg being helped by emergency officials.
The festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees, according to its website.
Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson in Seattle; Annika Wolters in Bangkok; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
A vendor throws away food while cleaning up the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The U.S. flag flies at half staff at the Space Needle as cleanup continues the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A worker cleans blood off the pavement the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The U.S. flag flies at half staff as cleanup continues at the Space Needle the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A man walks near the scene, a day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Seattle Police officer sets up police line tape at the site of a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, center, speaks at a news conference after a shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police respond to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Seattle Police officer walks through tents with colorful toys at the scene of a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A crime scene photographer arrives as law enforcement examines the scene following a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
