Alec Burleson drives in 3 as Cardinals beat Phillies 7-1 to win series

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alec Burleson drove in three runs, including a two-run double during a four-run fifth inning against Zack Wheeler, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-1 on Wednesday.

Burleson finished 5 for 10 with two doubles and five RBIs in the series as the Cardinals took two of three from the Phillies and moved one game over .500 (61-60). Both teams are chasing an NL wild-card playoff spot.

St. Louis won its third straight series, the first time it has done that this season.

Kyle Leahy (9-4) pitched five innings, allowing one run on six hits and no walks. He struck out six.

All the Cardinals' runs in the fifth came in with two outs as St. Louis strung together four consecutive hits against Wheeler (10-4).

St. Louis rookie César Prieto opened the fifth with a single to right, ending an 0-for-27 slump with his first hit of the season and second of his career.

JJ Wetherholt singled with two outs. Prieto scored when Iván Herrera singled on a 3-2 fastball. Burleson doubled to right to make it 4-1, and he scored on Jordan Walker’s double.

Burleson added an RBI single as the Cardinals scored twice in the seventh.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the second after first baseman Alex Bohm misplayed Walker’s grounder. Walker stole second and scored on Nathan Church’s double to left.

Bryce Harper doubled in the fourth for Philadelphia and scored on a two-bagger by Luis Arraez.

The Phillies head to Dyersville, Iowa, where they will face Minnesota in the Field of Dreams game on Thursday night. RHP Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.47 ERA) faces Twins RHP Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.76 ERA).

The Cardinals begin a series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday with LHP Matthew Liberatore (5-9, 5.15) on the mound against a Chicago pitcher to be named.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

Philadelphia Phillies' Luis Arraez throws to first for an out against St. Louis Cardinals' Jimmy Crooks during the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

St. Louis Cardinals' Nathan Church catches a fly ball hit by Philadelphia Phillies' Luis Arraez during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson gestures toward the dugout after hitting a two-RBI double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson follows through on and RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

HOPKINS, Minn. (AP) — A man who killed his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at a daycare in Minnesota is also suspected of killing a 78-year-old relative, police said Wednesday.

The 41-year-old man fatally shot himself after stabbing his wife and the child at a home in Hopkins where she operated a daycare, police said.

At an afternoon news conference, the police chief in Burnsville stepped forward and said a woman who was the man’s “close family relative” was also found dead at a home where they were both living.

No other children were physically harmed at the daycare.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

HOPKINS, Minn. (AP) — A father fatally stabbed his 7-year-old daughter and her mother at a home daycare they own in Minnesota before taking his life, police said Wednesday.

All six other children who were at the home have been reunited with their parents, and none were physically injured, according to authorities in Hopkins, a suburb of Minneapolis.

Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said another parent called police after witnessing the attack while bringing a child to Brown Bear Childcare.

“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Johnson said at a news conference.

The police chief declined to release the victims’ identities or say how they died. He said he didn’t know the relationship between the two adults who owned the daycare, but the child who died is believed to be theirs.

EDITOR’S NOTE — In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

Police and sheriff vehicles lined the otherwise quiet street where the daycare is located. The brown, two-story house has a mural on the garage door of a tree-lined lake and a moose. Photos on the daycare's Facebook page show kids playing with toys inside and in the backyard, with colorful decorations and artwork on the walls.

Amanda Marx, a nurse who lives across the street, didn’t realize anything was wrong until she noticed police officers trying to break down the home's front door.

She said officers moved behind the home before reappearing and calling for crime scene tape. Later, several young children emerged — one being carried by an officer.

Marx said she and her 7-year-old son always referred to it as the “garage house” due to the colorful mural. The longtime resident said she’d never met the home's owners and was unaware they were running a daycare. She didn’t recall any prior disturbances.

“I’m just trying to figure out how to explain to my 7-year-old why there’s crime scene tape on our deck,” she said.

Records show the daycare has been licensed by the state since 2019 and has a capacity of 10 children. It was found to be in compliance during visits in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Johnson said killings are a “rarity” in Hopkins and that his officers were shaken by the scene they found inside the home.

“I could see on the look on their faces that this was one of those ones that you’ll remember for your entire career, if not life,” Johnson said.

Rico reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed.

Law enforcement respond to a call at a home daycare, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hopkins, Minn. (AP Photo/Carly Danek)

Law enforcement respond to a call at a home daycare, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hopkins, Minn. (AP Photo/Carly Danek)

Law enforcement respond to a call at a home daycare, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hopkins, Minn. (AP Photo/Carly Danek)

Law enforcement respond to a call at a home daycare, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hopkins, Minn. (AP Photo/Carly Danek)

Law enforcement respond to a call at a home daycare, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hopkins, Minn. (AP Photo/Carly Danek)

Law enforcement respond to a call at a home daycare, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Hopkins, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)